Title 77, FISH AND WILDLIFE

(1) After May 28, 1977, the director shall issue no new salmon charter licenses. A person may renew an existing salmon charter license only if the person held the license sought to be renewed during the previous year or acquired the license by transfer from someone who held it du…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, a person shall not operate a vessel as a charter boat from which salmon are taken in salt water without an angler permit. The angler permit shall specify the maximum number of persons that may fish from the charter boat pe…

A salmon charter boat may not carry more anglers than the number specified in the angler permit issued under RCW 77.70.060. Members of the crew may fish from the boat only to the extent that the number of anglers specified in the angler permit exceeds the number of noncrew passen…

(1) The total number of anglers authorized by the director shall not exceed the total number authorized for 1980. (2) Angler permits issued under RCW 77.70.060 are transferable. All or a portion of the permit may be transferred to another salmon charter license holder. (3) The an…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, after May 6, 1974, the director shall issue no new commercial salmon fishery licenses or salmon delivery licenses. A person may renew an existing license only if the person held the license sought to be renewed during the …

Any commercial salmon fishery license issued under RCW 77.65.160 or salmon delivery license issued under RCW 77.65.170 shall revert to the department when any government confiscates and sells the vessel designated on the license. Upon application of the person named on the licens…

(1) A person shall not commercially take Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) in Puget Sound without first obtaining a Dungeness crab—Puget Sound fishery license. As used in this section, "Puget Sound" has the meaning given in RCW 77.65.160(5)(a). A Dungeness crab—Puget Sound fishery…

(1) A person shall not fish commercially for herring in state waters without a herring fishery license. As used in this section, "herring fishery license" means any of the following commercial fishery licenses issued under RCW 77.65.200: Herring dip bag net; herring drag seine; h…

(1) A person shall not commercially take whiting from areas that the department designates within the waters described in RCW 77.65.160(5)(a) without a whiting-Puget Sound fishery license. (2) A whiting-Puget Sound fishery license may be issued only to an individual who: (a) Deli…

A whiting-Puget Sound fishery license may be transferred through gift, devise, bequest, or descent to members of the license holder's immediate family which shall be limited to spouse, children, or stepchildren. The holder of a whiting-Puget Sound fishery license shall be present…

(1) A sea urchin dive fishery license is required to take sea urchins for commercial purposes. A sea urchin dive fishery license authorizes the use of only one diver in the water at any time during sea urchin harvest operations. If the same vessel has been designated on two sea u…

(1) The director may issue experimental fishery permits for commercial harvest in an emerging commercial fishery for which the director has determined there is a need to limit the number of participants. The director shall determine by rule the number and qualifications of partic…

Whenever the director promulgates a rule designating an emerging commercial fishery, the legislative standing committees of the house of representatives and senate dealing with fisheries issues shall be notified of the rule and its justification thirty days prior to the effective…

(1) Within five years after adopting rules to govern the number and qualifications of participants in an emerging commercial fishery, the director shall provide to the appropriate senate and house of representatives committees a report which outlines the status of the fishery and…

(1) A sea cucumber dive fishery license is required to take sea cucumbers for commercial purposes. A sea cucumber dive fishery license authorizes the use of only one diver in the water at any time during sea cucumber harvest operations. If the same vessel has been designated on t…

The legislature finds that the wise management of Washington state's herring resource is of paramount importance to the people of the state. The legislature finds that herring are an important part of the food chain for a number of the state's living marine resources. The legisla…

(1) A herring spawn on kelp fishery license is required to commercially take herring eggs which have been deposited on vegetation of any type. (2) A herring spawn on kelp fishery license may be issued only to a person who: (a) Holds a herring fishery license issued under RCW 77.6…

(1) A person shall not harvest geoduck clams commercially without a geoduck fishery license. This section does not apply to the harvest of private sector cultured aquatic products as defined in RCW 15.85.020. The geoduck fishery license fee and the application fee are specified i…

A person shall not commercially deliver into any Washington state port ocean pink shrimp caught in offshore waters without an ocean pink shrimp delivery license issued under RCW 77.65.390, or an ocean pink shrimp single delivery license issued under RCW 77.70.260. An ocean pink s…

An applicant who can show historical participation under RCW 77.70.230(1) but does not satisfy the continuous participation requirement of RCW 77.70.230(2) shall be issued an ocean pink shrimp delivery license if: (1) The owner can prove that the owner was in the process on Decem…

After December 31, 1994, an ocean pink shrimp delivery license may only be issued to a vessel that held an ocean pink shrimp delivery license in 1994, and each year thereafter. If the license is transferred to another vessel, the license history shall also be transferred to the t…

The owner of an ocean pink shrimp fishing vessel that does not qualify for an ocean pink shrimp delivery license issued under RCW 77.65.390 shall obtain an ocean pink shrimp single delivery license in order to make a landing into a state port of ocean pink shrimp taken in offshor…

(1) A person shall not commercially fish for coastal crab in Washington state waters without a Dungeness crab—coastal fishery license. Gear used must consist of one buoy attached to each crab pot. Each crab pot must be fished individually. (2) A Dungeness crab—coastal fishery lic…

(1) The director shall allow the landing into Washington state of crab taken in offshore waters only if: (a) The crab are legally caught and landed by fishers with a valid Washington state Dungeness crab-coastal fishery license; or (b)(i) The director determines that the landing …

A person commercially fishing for Dungeness crab in offshore waters outside of Washington state jurisdiction shall obtain a Dungeness crab offshore delivery license from the director if the person does not possess a valid Dungeness crab-coastal fishery license and the person wish…

Dungeness crab-coastal fishery licenses are freely transferable on a willing seller-willing buyer basis after paying the transfer fee in RCW 77.65.020. [ 2000 c 107 s 78; 1997 c 418 s 3; 1994 c 260 s 5. Formerly RCW 75.30.380.] Notes: Finding—Severability—1994 c 260: See notes fo…

The coastal crab account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. The account shall consist of revenues from fees from the transfer of each Dungeness crab-coastal fishery license assessed under RCW 77.65.020, delivery fees assessed under RCW 77.70.300, and the license su…

Expenditures from the coastal crab account may be made by the department for management of the coastal crab resource. Management activities may include studies of resource viability, interstate negotiations concerning regulation of the offshore crab resource, resource enhancement…

(1) An Oregon resident who can show historical and continuous participation in the Washington state coastal crab fishery by having held a nonresident non-Puget Sound crab pot license issued under RCW 77.65.220 each year from 1990 through 1994, and who has delivered a minimum of e…

(1) The following restrictions apply to vessel designations and substitutions on Dungeness crab-coastal fishery licenses: (a) The holder of the license may not: (i) Designate on the license a vessel the hull length of which exceeds ninety-nine feet; or (ii) Change vessel designat…

Except as provided under *RCW 77.70.380, the director shall issue no new Dungeness crab-coastal fishery licenses after December 31, 1995. A person may renew an existing license only if the person held the license sought to be renewed during the previous year or acquired the licen…

(1) A Dungeness crab—coastal fishery licensee shall not take Dungeness crab in the waters of the exclusive economic zone westward of the states of Oregon or California and land crab taken in those waters into Washington state unless the licensee also holds the licenses, permits, …

The director may reduce the landing requirements established under RCW 77.70.280 upon the recommendation of an advisory review board established under *RCW 77.70.030, but the director may not entirely waive the landing requirement. The advisory review board may recommend a reduct…

The department, with input from Dungeness crab—coastal fishery licensees and processors, shall prepare a resource plan to achieve even-flow harvesting and long-term stability of the coastal Dungeness crab resource. The plan may include pot limits, further reduction in the number …

(1) The shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery is a limited entry fishery and a person shall not fish for spot shrimp or nonspot shrimp taken from Puget Sound for commercial purposes with shrimp pot gear except under the provisions of a shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license issued under…

(1) The shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery is a limited entry fishery and a person shall not fish for nonspot shrimp taken from Puget Sound for commercial purposes with shrimp trawl gear except under the provisions of a shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery license issued under RCW 77.6…

(1) The nonspot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery is a limited entry fishery and a person may not fish for nonspot shrimp for commercial purposes with nonspot shrimp pot gear except under the provisions of a nonspot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license or a shrimp pot-Puget Sound …

(1) In order to administer a Puget Sound crab pot buoy tag program, the department may charge a fee to holders of a Dungeness crab—Puget Sound fishery license to reimburse the department for the production of Puget Sound crab pot buoy tags and the administration of a Puget Sound …

The Puget Sound crab pot buoy tag account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All revenues from fees from RCW 77.70.430(1) must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from this account may be used for the production of crab pot buoy tags and the administration …

The Washington coastal crab pot buoy tag account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All revenues from fees from RCW 77.70.430(2) must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from this account may be used for the production of crab pot buoy tags and the administ…

The commercial fisheries buyback account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from money collected by the commission under RCW 77.70.460, moneys appropriated for the purposes of this section, and other gifts, grants, or donations specifically made to the…

(1) The commission shall collect a fee upon all deliveries of fish or shellfish from persons holding: (a) A federal pacific groundfish limited entry permit with a trawl endorsement; (b) an ocean pink shrimp delivery license issued under RCW 77.65.390; (c) a Dungeness crab—coastal…

The commission may not assess the fee specified under RCW 77.70.460 until after the federal government creates a groundfish fleet reduction program. [ 2003 c 174 s 3.] Notes: Contingent expiration date—2003 c 174 ss 2 and 3: See note following RCW 77.70.460.

(1) A Washington sardine purse seine fishery license or temporary annual fishery permit is required to use purse seine gear to fish for or possess Pacific sardines in offshore waters. This requirement does not affect persons authorized to fish for or possess sardines in offshore …

(1) A Washington Pacific sardine purse seine fishery license: (a) May only be issued to a person that held a coastal pilchard experimental fishery permit in 2008, except as otherwise provided in this section; (b) Must be renewed annually to remain active; and (c) Subject to the r…

(1)(a) As part of a coastal commercial Dungeness crab pot removal program, the department shall issue a crab pot removal permit that allows the participants in the Dungeness crab-coastal fishery created in RCW 77.70.280 to remove crab pots belonging to state commercial licensed c…