Wash. Admin. Code § 220-340-700

Current through Register Vol. 24-20, October 15, 2024

Section 220-340-700 - Commercial crawfish fishery

(1) Licensing: A shellfish pot fishery license is required to operate the gear provided for in this section. An application for a shellfish pot fishery license is available at the offices of the department, by calling the WDFW license division at 360-902-2500, or on the department website at www.wdfw.wa.gov.

(2) Commercial crawfish season: The first Monday in May through October 31, except: In Washington waters of the Columbia River downstream from the mouth of the Walla Walla River, it is permissible to take crawfish from April 1 through October 31.

(3) Commercial crawfish size and sex restrictions:

(a) Crawfish must be 3 1/4 inches or more in length from the tip of the rostrum (nose) to the tip of the tail.

(b) All undersize crawfish and female crawfish with eggs or young attached to the abdomen must be immediately returned unharmed to the waters from which taken. Fishers must sort and return illegal crawfish to the waters from which taken immediately after the crawfish are removed from the shellfish pot and prior to lifting additional pots from the water.

(4) Commercial crawfish gear, fishing areas, and pot number restrictions:

(a) It is unlawful to take crawfish for commercial purposes with gear other than shellfish pots.

(b) The department determines the maximum number of pots permitted in any given body of water. Once the permitted maximum number of pots for any given body of water is reached, no further permits may be issued for that area. Permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis consistent with all other regulations concerning issuance of commercial crawfish harvest permits.

(c) It is unlawful for a person to fish more than 400 pots at one time in the commercial crawfish fishery.

(d) Buoys must consist of durable material that will remain floating on the surface with five pounds attached; bleach or antifreeze bottles or other containers may not be used as floats.

(e) When two or more pots are attached to a common ground line, the number of pots attached must be clearly labeled on the required buoy.

(f) Crawfish gear also subject to provisions of WAC 220-353-020.

(g) It is unlawful to fish for crawfish for commercial purposes in the following waters:

Clallam

Crescent Lake

Clark

Battleground Lake

Cowlitz

Merrill Lake

Grant

Deep Lake

Potholes Res. Coulee Lake

Soap Lakes

Sun Lakes

Grays Harbor

Sylvia Lake

Island

Cranberry Lake

Jefferson

Anderson Lake

King

Cedar Lake

Elbow Lake

Green Lake

Green River Margaret Lake

Sammamish Lake

Sammamish River Sammamish Slough Walsh Lake

Kittitas

Easton Lake

Klickitat

Horsethief Lake Roland Lake

Lewis

Mineral Lake

Okanogan

Alta Lake Buffalo Lake

Campbell Lake

Conconully Lake

Conconully Res. Crawfish Lake

Omak Lake

Osoyoos Lake

Pearrygin Lake

Pacific

Middle Nemah River North Nemah River Smith Creek

Pend Oreille

Browns Lake (on Brown Cr)

Calispell Lake

Cooks Lake

Conklin Lake

Davis Lake

Half Moon Lake

Mystic Lake

No Name Lake

Shearer Lake

Vanee Lake

Pierce

Clear Lake

Spanaway Lake

Steilacoom Lake

Wapato Lake

Skagit

Beaver Lake

Caskey Lake

Cranberry Lake

Everett Lake

Minkler Lake

Pass Lake

Sixteen Lake

Whistle Lake

Skamania

Goose Lake

Mosquito Lake

South Prairie Lake

Stump (Tunnel) Lake

Snohomish

Ballinger Lake

Chaplain Lake

Flowing Lake

Goodwin Lake

Ki Lake

Martha Lake

Pass Lake

Roesiger Lake

Serene Lake

Shoecraft Lake

Silver Lake

Stevens Lake

Stickney Lake

Storm Lake

Thurston

Deep Lake

Hicks Lake

Long Lake

Patterson Lake

Summit Lake

Ward Lake

Whatcom

Budd Lake

Bug Lake

Caine Lake

Fishtrap Creek

Johnson Creek

Padden Lake

Toad or Emerald Lake

(h) It is unlawful to fish for crawfish within 1/4 mile of the shoreline of developed parks.

(i) It is permissible for an individual fisherman to fish for crawfish for commercial use in the waters set out below with up to the number of pots shown.

Name of Lake, River, or Slough	County	Max. Pots Allowed
Alder Lake (Res.)	Pierce/Thurston	200
Alkali Lake	Grant	100
Bachelor Slough	Clark	100
Baker Lake	Whatcom	200
Banks Lake	Grant	200
Big Lake	Skagit	200
Black Lake	Thurston	200
Blue Lake	Grant	200
Bonaparte Lake	Okanogan	100
Buckmire Slough	Clark	100
Camas Slough	Clark	100
Campbell Lake	Skagit	100
Cassidy Lake	Snohomish	100
Cavanaugh Lake	Skagit	200
Chehalis River	Lewis/Grays Harbor	100
Chelan Lake	Chelan	200
Clear Lake	Skagit	100
Coal Creek Slough	Cowlitz	100
Columbia River	Clark, Cowlitz, etc.	200
Copalis River	Grays Harbor, etc.	100
Cowlitz River	Clark, Cowlitz, etc.	100
Curlew Lake	Ferry	200
Cushman Lake #1	Clark	100
Deep River	Wahkiakum	100
Deschutes River	Thurston	100
Diablo Lake	Whatcom	200
Drano Lake	Skamania	100
Elochoman River	Wahkiakum	100
Erie Lake	Skagit	100
Evergreen Reservoir	Grant	100
Fisher Island Slough	Cowlitz	100
Goose Lake (upper)	Grant	100
Grays River	Pacific	100
Harts Lake	Pierce	100
Hoquiam River	Grays Harbor	100
Humptulips River	Grays Harbor	100
John's River	Grays Harbor	100
Kapowsin Lake	Pierce	200
Kalama River	Cowlitz, etc.	100
Klickitat	Klickitat	100
Lackamas Lake (Res.)	Clark	100
Lake River	Clark	100
Lawrence Lake	Thurston	100
Lenore Lake	Grant	200
Lewis River	Clark/Cowlitz	100
Loomis Lake	Pacific	100
Mayfield Lake	Lewis	200
McIntosh Lake	Thurston	100
McMurray Lake	Skagit	100
Merwin Lake	Clark/Cowlitz	200
Moses Lake	Grant	200
Naselle River	Pacific, etc.	100
Nisqually River	Pierce, etc.	100
Nooksack River	Whatcom	100
North River	Grays Harbor	100
Palmer Lake	Okanogan	100
Patterson Lake (Res.)	Okanogan	100
Portage Bay	King	100
Rattlesnake Lake	King	100
Ross Lake (Res.)	Whatcom	200
Salmon Lake	Okanogan	100
Satsop River	Grays Harbor	100
Shannon Lake (Res.)	Skagit	200
Sidley Lake	Okanogan	100
Silver Lake	Pierce	100
Silver Lake	Cowlitz	200
Skagit River	Skagit/Whatcom	200
Skamokawa River	Wahkiakum	100
Snake River	Franklin/Walla Walla	200
Snohomish River	Snohomish	100
St. Clair Lake	Thurston	100
Swift Lake (Res.)	Skamania	200
Terrell Lake	Whatcom	100
Toutle River	Cowlitz	100
Union Lake	King	200
Vancouver Lake	Clark	200
Warden Lake	Grant	100
Washington Lake	King	200
Washougal River	Clark/Skamania	100
Whitestone Lake	Okanogan	100
Willapa River	Pacific	100
Wiser Lake	Whatcom	100
Wind River	Cowlitz	100
Wishkah River	Grays Harbor	100
Woodland Slough	Clark	100
Wynoochee River	Grays Harbor	100
Yakima River	Kittitas	100
Yale Lake (Res.)	Clark/Cowlitz	200

(j) Commercial crawfish harvest permits will be issued to limit the number of crawfish pots permissible per fisherman per body of water in suitable crawfish harvest sites not listed in subsections (4)(d) and (e) of this section as follows:

(i) Under 20 acres - No commercial harvest.

(ii) 20 acres to 100 acres - 50 pots.

(iii) 101 acres to 400 acres - 100 pots.

(iv) Over 400 acres - 200 pots.

(k) Permits may be issued only in waters where fishing will not conflict with high density residential or recreational areas. No permit will be issued where developed parks encompass more than 1/2 of the water shoreline.

(5) It is unlawful to discard any crawfish bait into the waters of the state.

(6) This section does not apply to the commercial culture of crawfish at a registered aquatic farm.

(7) It is unlawful to fish for or possess crawfish taken for commercial purposes in violation of this section. Violation of this section is punishable under RCW 77.15.500, 77.15.520, 77.15.522, or 77.15.540, depending on the circumstances of the violation.

Wash. Admin. Code § 220-340-700

Decodified by WSR 17-05-112, Filed 2/15/2017, effective 3/18/2017. Recodified from § 220-52-060.

Amended by WSR 22-08-048, Filed 3/31/2022, effective 5/1/2022

Statutory Authority: RCW 77.04.012, 77.04.013, 77.04.055, 77.12.045, and 77.12.047. 12-23-016 (Order 12-267), § 220-52-060, filed 11/9/12, effective 12/10/12. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080. 94-12-009 (Order 94-23), § 220-52-060, filed 5/19/94, effective 6/19/94; 91-10-024 (Order 91-22), § 220-52-060, filed 4/23/91, effective 5/24/91; 87-23-006 (Order 87-187), § 220-52-060, filed 11/6/87. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080 and 75.58.040. 86-19-043 (Order 86-102), § 220-52-060, filed 9/12/86. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080. 80-13-064 (Order 80-123), § 220-52-060, filed 9/17/80; 79-02-053 (Order 79-6), § 220-52-060, filed 1/30/79; Order 76-26, § 220-52-060, filed 1:45 p.m., 4/20/76; Order 945, § 220-52-060, filed 8/16/71; Order 807, § 220-52-060, filed 1/2/69, effective 2/1/69; subsections 1-7, Orders 414 and 256, filed 3/1/60.