Non-spot beam trawl fishery

The Puget Sound non-spot shrimp beam trawl fishery is a limited-entry commercial fishery which occurs in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands. There are five total Puget Sound non-spot shrimp beam trawl licenses. In addition to being limited entry, license holders must also obtain an annual permit issued at the discretion of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) director. Per commission policy, all non-spot shrimp trawl quota is managed for the exclusive benefit of the commercial fishery. 

Current Season

The commercial non-spot shrimp beam trawl season is structured as follows: 

Non-spot shrimp beam trawl specific harvest areas definitions: 

Name

Geographic Area Description

(WAC 220-320-140 (3))

South Lopez SoundThose waters of Lopez Sound within subregion 1B that are south of a line projected true east-west from the northern tip of Trump Island (48.5064°, -122.8369°).
Rosario BoxThat portion of Catch Area 22A within subregion 1B that are east of a line projected along -122.7833° longitude (east of Blakely Island) and west of a line projected along -122.7167° longitude (west of Cypress Island) in Rosario Strait.
Lummi-Sinclair TriangleThose waters of Catch Area 21A north and west of a line from the southern tip of Sinclair Island (48.6097°, -122.6572°) to Carter Point (48.6404°, -122.6088°) on Lummi Island.
  • Non-spot shrimp beam trawl harvest is permitted starting one hour before official sunrise on the hard season opening dates listed for each of the areas detailed below.

Geographic Area Description

((WAC 220-320-140 (3); WAC 220-320-120)

Open period
Catch Area 20A outside of those waters north and east of a line from Point Roberts Light (48.9716°, -123.0838°) to Sandy Point Light at the Lummi Reservation (48.7868°, -122.7124°)August 1, 2024
Those waters within the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle.July 1, 2024
Those waters of South Lopez Sound.July 10, 2024
All waters within subregion 1B, excluding those waters of South Lopez Sound, the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle and Catch Area 20B.June 16, 2024
Subarea 23A East, MFSF Catch Areas 23B, and MFSF Catch Area 25A outside of the Discovery Bay Shrimp District.May 1, 2024
Subarea 23A WestMay 1, 2024
MFSF Catch Area 23CMay 1, 2024
MFSF Catch Area 29May 1, 2024
  • Non-spot shrimp beam trawl harvest is permitted starting one hour before official sunrise in the areas detailed below contingent on the harvester coordinating an on-board observing trip of the area. If by-catch sampling criteria are not met these areas will open on the later dates described in WAC 220-340-530 (5d, e).

Geographic Area Description

((WAC 220-320-140 (3); WAC 220-320-120)

Open period
Those waters within the Rosario Box.May 1, 2024
Those waters of Catch Area 22A within subregion 1B, excluding the Rosario Box and South Lopez Sound.May 1, 2024
Those waters of Catch Area 20B within subregion 1B.May 1, 2024

 

Please refer to the pre-season commercial trawl fishery letter for more details. 

Maps

For a printable, PDF version of the Puget Sound trawl areas, click this link: PS Commercial Trawl Areas (PDF)

Region 1 Beam Trawl Areas

Region 3 Beam Trawl Areas

Beam Trawl Exclusion Areas

21A

East 20A

Marine Preserves and Conservation Areas 

Fishery Profile

The Puget Sound beam trawl fishery currently operates in Marine Fish Shellfish (MFSF) Regions 1 and 3, landing catch in Bellingham, Anacortes, and Port Townsend. There are five valid permits for the fishery but only 2 to 4 are active in recent years. Landed catch includes several species of non-spot pandalid shrimps including P. eous, P. danae, P. dispar, P. hypsinotus, and P. goniurus. The harvest is typically destined for human consumption markets such as local seafood restaurants and farmers' markets or bait markets for recreational fishers. 

Season Structure

Puget Sound shrimp  beam trawl seasons typically are open from May 1 until mid-October, closing sooner if quotas are met. Region 1 is divided into 1A, 1B, and 1C with specific MFSF catch areas opening in a staggered structure. There is no quota available to the trawl fishery in the 1A sub-area of Region 1. Region 3 includes MFSF catch areas 23A, 23B, and 25A. Puget Sound shrimp trawl harvesters are limited to beam trawl gear and may use a maximum beam width of 25ft in Region 1 and 60ft in Region 3.

Typical Open DateRegionMFSF AreasDepth Restrictions
May 1 (conditional)1Portions of 22Aminimum fishing depth 100 ft
May 16 (conditional)11B/20B, part of 22Aminimum fishing depth 100 ft
June 1611B/22A, 20B minimum fishing depth 100 ft
July 11Portions of 21Aminimum fishing depth 100 ft
July 1011B/22A fully opensminimum fishing depth 100 ft
August 11Western 20Aminimum fishing depth 120 ft
May 1323A, 23B, 25Aminimum fishing depth 100 ft

Note: conditional opening dates are contingent on the requirement for harvesters to bring an Agency observer aboard on the the first trip in the MFSF area that is intended to be fished to assess bycatch concerns. 

 

Landings

The landings of this fishery can vary widely, primarily as a function of the number of fishery participants (i.e., active vessels) and the effort of licensed vessels as markets and processing capabilities shift. Participation increased from 1990 and was highest from 1995 to 1997, then declined after establishment of a harvest quota in 1998. Annual catches also vary considerably, with the highest catch seen in 1995 (1.24 million pounds) and the lowest in 2010 (92,000). Over the past two decades, the value of this fishery was highest in 2000 at $475,163 and lowest in 2010 at $46,011.

Image
Puget Sound Beam Trawl Landings
Photo by WDFW

 

Licensing and Permit Requirements

The Puget Sound shrimp beam trawl fishery is a limited-entry fishery and therefore licenses are limited by moratorium. It is unlawful to fish for shrimp for commercial purposes in Puget Sound using trawl gear except during seasons opened by emergency rule and authorized by a permit issued by the director. An existing license may be transferred to another owner, but no new licenses may be issued.

To renew an existing license, please visit the commercial fishery licensing page for limited entry fisheries: Limited Entry Fisheries

Logbook Instructions

Beam trawl fishery participants are required to obtain, as well as accurately and completely maintain the appropriate harvest log available from WDFW. If you need to obtain a new or additional logbook for the beam trawl fishery, please contact staff at the WDFW Port Townsend office:

Brad Speidel: 253-263-5560

Daniel Sund: 360-302-6372

For instructions in filling our your logbook, please see: Logbook Instructions (PDF)

Rules and Regulations

WAC 220-301-040: Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas, Puget Sound.

WAC 220-302-100: San Juan Islands Marine Preserve Area.

WAC 220-320-060: General provisions -- Shellfish.

WAC 220-320-120: Puget Sound Crustacean Special Management Areas

WAC 220-320-140: Commercial shrimp geographical management units - Puget Sound

WAC 220-340-020: Shellfish -- Unlawful acts -- Commercial.

WAC 220-340-030: Shellfish harvest logs

WAC 220-340-040: Sale of commercially caught shellfish

WAC 220-340-530: Commercial shrimp trawl fishery - Puget Sound

WAC 220-352-010: Fish receiving ticket definitions.

WAC 220-352-020: When state of Washington fish receiving tickets are required.

WAC 220-352-130: Completion, submission, distribution, and retention of copies of shellfish receiving ticket.

WAC 220-352-140: Signatures -- Fish receiving tickets.

WAC 220-352-160: Fish receiving ticket accountability -- Paper forms.

WAC 220-352-210: License cards.

WAC 220-352-220: Wholesale fish buyer plates.

WAC 220-352-230: Commercial fish and shellfish transportation ticket.

WAC 220-352-250: Sale under a limited fish seller endorsement.

WAC 220-352-335: Puget Sound shrimp - Additional reporting requirements