Last Updated: May 29, 2013

The commercial non-Indian sea cucumber fishery is currently closed state-wide until further notice.

Season Recommendations

Commercial sea cucumber license holders met on May 24 to develop harvest season scheduling and the following recommendations have been determined. It has been recommended that legal harvest begin on Monday, July 1, 2013. Furthermore, it has been recommended that harvest occur on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of each week in the San Juan Islands area, the Strait of Juan de Fuca area, and the Central Puget Sound area, which represent Sea Cucumber Management Districts 1, 2, and 3 respectively. For the South Puget Sound area, Management District 5, harvest has been recommended to occur on Monday through Friday of each week. Additionally, as was the case during the initiation of the previous harvest season, a weekly harvest trip limit has been recommended. The recommended maximum weekly landing of sea cucumbers for all harvest areas is 1,800 pounds per valid sea cucumber license.

These are recommendations only at this time. It is expected that an emergency WAC regulation that initiates the commercial non-Indian sea cucumber fishery will be issued by late June and the standard notification process will occur at that time.

Harvest Quotas and Landings

Non-Indian sea cucumber annual quota shares pounds) for the 2013-2014 season are to be determined.

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1These closed areas pertain to the commercial sea cucumber fishery. In addition, see permanent WACs 220-20 and 220-16 for more information on Marine Protected Areas, Marine Preserve Areas and Conservation Area closures. Legal descriptions of commercial sea cucumber harvest districts are found in WAC 220-52-071 Sea Cucumbers. Legal descriptions of commercial sea cucumber catch reporting areas can be found in WAC 220-22-400 Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas within Puget Sound

Permanent WAC's

• Shellfish harvest logs. WAC 220-52-075
• Permanent Sea cucumber fishing regulations. WAC 220-52-071
• General provisions -- Lawful and unlawful acts -- Salmon, other food fish and shellfish. WAC 220-20-10
• General provisions -- Shellfish. WAC 220-20-025
• Unlawful sale of food fish and shellfish. WAC 220-20-012
• Sale of commercially caught shellfish. WAC 220-20-026
• Duties of commercial purchasers. WAC 220-69-240