Summary of proposed rule
The purpose of this rule is to adjust the timing of participant selection and the timing for in-hand gear requirements to allow fishers sufficient time to secure gear before the commercial season begins. In addition, this rule will clarify conditions pertaining to the successful fisher applicants.
Scope and rationale for proposed rule
These revisions come at the request of the commercial fishing industry given their timeline constraints and commitments with the public purchasing the required fishing gear. The revisions also provide detailed conditions pertaining to applicant requirements for those considering applying for the lottery and expectations for successfully chosen applicants ahead of a potential 2024 fishery (and future fisheries). These conditions for both successful applicants and DFW provides measured steps to improve fishing participation and essential data collection from the fishery for management and evaluation purposes.
* It has recently come to the attention of WDFW that the CR-102 filed with the Code Reviser on July 19th, 2023, under WSR # 23-15-096, contained two typographical errors in which it referenced “recreational” instead of “commercial”. These errors appear only in the Purpose and Reasons section of the CR-102 form, respectively. As outlined in the CR-101 and the rules published under WSR # 23-15-096, this is a rule project solely related to a commercial fishery on the Columbia River.
Documents
- CR-103P – filed as WSR 23-18-097 on
CR-103P supplemental documents
Public hearing
August 22, 2023 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
In-person at WDFW Region 5 Ridgefield Office
5525 S 11th Street
Ridgefield, WA 98642
and virtually via Zoom Meetings
Date of Intended Adoption: On or after August 23, 2023
For more information
Staff Contact: Kelly.Henderson@dfw.wa.gov
Public comments
To view and submit comments, please visit the Columbia River Emerging Commercial Fishery public engagement page.
You may also leave comments by sending an email to emerging-commercial-fisheries@PublicInput.com or by leaving a voicemail message at 855-925-2801 and entering project code 5016.
Comments will be accepted until the close of the comment period on August 22, 2023.