Washington State Coastal Pink Shrimp Fishery Regulations and Information

Pink Shrimp commercial fishing vessel off the coast of Washington State. 2008 Annual Coastal Pink Shrimp Fishery Letter Download PDF version History The Washington coastal pink shrimp fishery dates back to the late 1950’s. In the early years, the number of vessels in the fishery generally numbered less than two-dozen; and until the 1970’s, landings did not exceed two million pounds. During the following two decades, the fishery expanded with abundant shrimp and good markets. In 1988, just over 18 million pounds of pink shrimp were landed by 53 vessels. In 1990, nearly 100 vessels landed about 15 million pounds at an ex-vessel price per pound ranging from 45 cents to 64 cents. However, within a few years a dramatic decline in local abundance drove many fishers out of the fishery. The fleet numbered just over 50 vessels in 1994, and fewer than 30 four years later. Since the late 1990’s, trawling for pink shrimp has improved some. The market remains relatively flat with ex-vessel values ranging from 15 to 35 cents per pound, but the 20 to 30 fishers still active annually in the fishery have benefited from an apparent increase in pink shrimp abundance. Hoop Grate Excluder Management Compared to other trawl fisheries, the pink shrimp fishery provides fishers a stable commercial opportunity. Management of the fishery is passive; a scheduled season runs from April through October each year, and there is no quota or total allowable catch. Regulations are in place to restrict mesh size, count per pound, and the incidental harvest of other species. The most significant management action recently taken has been the implementation of regulations requiring the use of fin fish excluders to protect over-fished stocks of rockfish. Typically, rockfish and other species represented about 5% of the total value of the shrimp fishery. In 2000, the Pacific Fishery Management Council determined canary rockfish to be overfished under the terms of the Sustainable Fisheries Act. In response to this determination Washington, Oregon, and California committed to reducing the incidental take of canary rockfish in state managed ocean pink shrimp fisheries. Finfish excluders were deemed the most effective approach. Initially, the use of excluders was voluntary through a program that provided fishers time to experiment with the different types and designs, make modifications, and advise mangers on regulations. Through this program, finfish excluders were made mandatory mid-season in 2001 and 2002; and permanently beginning in 2003. The landings of canary rockfish and other fin fish species now comprise less than 0.01 percent of the total value. In Washington, there are approximately 100 pink shrimp permits for the coastal fishery but only a quarter to a third of these are actively fished each year. The majority of the shrimp fleet is based at Westport; a couple of vessels operate out of Ilwaco. Pink shrimp are sold to buyers and processors in Westport, Tokeland, and Ilwaco. Pink Shrimp off-load at Westport, WA Stock Abundance and Harvest Pink shrimp abundance off the coast of Washington is unknown but assumed stable. Agency reductions in force in 1993 eliminated active pink shrimp management and a mandatory logbook program was discontinued. Catch information is available but, by itself is insufficient for assessing stock strength. The Washington coastal fishery typically lands about seven to eight million pounds annually. Most fishing occurs off the central and southern coast of Washington. Rules and Regulations WAC 220-52-075 Shrimp - Shellfish harvest logs WAC 220-52-050 Ocean pink shrimp trawl fishery -- Coastal waters. Click on graph for enlargement Pink Shrimp Catch and Number of Vessels: 1990-2007 Pink Shrimp Pounds and Total Ex-vessel Value: 1990-2007 Pink Shrimp Pounds and Per Vessel Ex-Vessel Value: 1990-2007 Ex-vessel Value of Shrimp and Marine Fish: 1990-2007 Pink Shrimp Landings by Month for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 and the 15 Year Average Washington State Coastal Pink Shrimp Fishery Summary Annual Landings by Catch Area Year Marine Fish Catch Area Code Total 58B 59A 59A1 59A2 60A 60A1 60A2 61 1990 28,641 302,716 12,427,304 786,936 13,545,597 1991 328,468 1,132,820 7,974,766 507,328 9,943,382 1992 252,943 174,749 9,500,813 2,044,883 11,973,388 1993 1,243,050 1,784,576 11,872,539 555,558 15,455,723 1994 425,251 4,760,229 276,978 5,462,458 1995 48,064 1,419,335 5,684,903 106,157 7,258,459 1996 1,391,465 3,885,385 37,900 5,314,750 1997 28,186 171,307 4,608,731 148,173 4,956,397 1998 86,105 174 8,216 409,957 585,529 547,951 1,637,932 1999 46,540 503,395 996,828 1,099,256 2,646,019 2000 2,671,533 1,160,292 521,083 4,352,908 2001 34,306 349,936 4,619,290 1,075,507 511,305 6,590,344 2002 19,312 186,820 7,608,073 695,342 1,538,663 10,048,210 2003 102,283 141,350 5,569,799 515,258 1,565,112 7,893,802 2004 57,820 175,088 2,501,330 637,285 2,008,764 5,380,287 2005 233,440 233,896 2,982,386 770,862 2,044,471 6,265,055 2006 48,073 909,028 818,339 2,361,239 555,654 1,490,308 6,182,641 2007     440,436 149,153 1,298,449 108,627 1,245,947 3,242,612 Annual Landings by Month Year April May June July August September October November Total 1990 1,145,732 3,014,017 3,095,241 2,962,134 1,819,347 1,251,863 257,263 13,545,597 1991 1,111,842 1,245,240 1,553,606 1,074,039 2,409,264 1,219,723 1,244,553 85,115 9,943,382 1992 1,880,430 729,048 1,534,000 2,124,590 1,901,198 1,961,599 1,842,523 11,973,388 1993 2,879,016 4,691,648 4,339,014 1,397,777 1,322,177 519,489 306,602 15,455,723 1994 627,439 788,394 862,003 1,252,081 1,333,002 355,609 243,930 5,462,458 1995 587,168 1,448,668 1,516,247 1,004,354 1,217,112 1,226,593 241,725 16,592 7,258,459 1996 277,724 719,178 880,047 887,284 1,000,028 1,105,926 444,563 5,314,750 1997 280,599 1,139,541 887,297 922,964 937,249 685,726 103,021 4,956,397 1998 210,762 551,637 266,399 284,630 256,430 68,074 1,637,932 1999 169,436 506,410 605,533 468,097 352,204 293,177 251,162 2,646,019 2000 40,384 275,814 1,447,889 1,058,385 681,044 651,333 198,059 4,352,908 2001 1,307,752 1,249,542 1,465,419 865,359 919,403 486,567 296,302 6,590,344 2002 604,441 1,273,203 1,822,342 1,662,659 2,245,624 1,242,122 1,197,819 10,048,210 2003 208,208 1,118,329 1,084,711 1,619,314 1,844,736 1,487,658 530,846 7,893,802 2004 1,118,762 1,578,294 906,721 713,399 446,162 453,985 162,964 5,380,287 2005 344,363 853,423 955,283 1,075,122 1,305,030 1,406,580 325,254 6,265,055 2006 1,104,844 1,856,060 1,327,280 637,969 626,292 393,501 236,695 6,182,641 2007 49,777 312,309 547,097 695,956 967,661 750,755 21,685 3,345,240