Changes to the recreational shrimp fishery in Puget Sound

April 9, 2004

DATE April 9, 2004

Changes to the recreational shrimp
fishery in Puget Sound



Action: Recreational shrimp fishery in Port Townsend Bay will not open as scheduled on April 17, 2004. The recreational shrimp fishery in Marine Area 10 will open on schedule but on Saturdays and Thursdays only, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Effective date: April 17, 2004

Species affected: All shrimp

Location: Port Townsend Bay and Marine Area 10

Reason for action: The Port Townsend Shrimp District will not open on April 17 because recent test fishery results indicate that shrimp abundance in the District is too low to support a fishery. Reducing the number of fishing days and hours in Marine Area 10 was necessary because of the growing popularity of shrimp fishing in recent years. In the last five years, participation in the recreational shrimp fishery increased nine-fold in those waters from an average of 25 pots fished per day in 1999 to approximately 235 pots fished per day in 2003.


Information contact: Mark O'Toole, (360) 466-4345 ext. 241
Dave Sterritt, (360) 796-4601 ext. 228



Fishers must have a current Washington fishing license, appropriate to the fishery. Check the WDFW "Fishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for details on definitions and regulations. Fishing rules are subject to change. Visit wdfw.wa.gov/fishing-hotlines to find a list of mobile, web, print, or customer service phone options for the latest rule information.

Request this information in an alternative format or language at wdfw.wa.gov/accessibility/requests-accommodation, 833-885-1012, TTY (711), or CivilRightsTeam@dfw.wa.gov.