More Puget Sound Shrimping Ops Announced

THE FOLLOWING IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

Correction: On June 10, 2024, WDFW sent out a corrected version of the below press release stating that the all-shrimp harvest in Marine Area 7 South will be June 13-15, not June 14-15 as stated in last week’s initial announcement.

More recreational shrimp fishing opportunities will occur in four Puget Sound marine areas, in addition to other scheduled openers, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

AMANDA WILES HOLDS UP A PAIR OF SPOT SHRIMP CAUGHT DURING A 2023 OPENER WHILE OUT WITH ADVENTURES WITH MAYHEM GUIDE SERVICE. (AMANDA WILES)

“Poor weather in May reduced participation during the first few fishery openings,” said Aaron Dufault, WDFW Puget Sound shellfish manager. “We know people were holding out for the later dates to enjoy more favorable weather, and we are pleased to be able to offer some additional harvest opportunity.”

Following review of the recreational shrimping catch and effort data in Puget Sound to date, WDFW shellfish managers determined that enough of the quota remains in four marine areas to offer additional harvest opportunities:

Other areas open for recreational shrimping include:

The daily limit is 80 spot shrimp with a total daily weight limit of 10 pounds (whole shrimp) all species combined. If retaining non-spot shrimp, all shrimp heads (spot and non-spot) must be retained in the field until anglers are ashore and finished fishing for the day. Daylight hours only indicates that pots can be set and retrieved from one hour before official sunrise to one hour after official sunset. All traps must be removed from the water during periods when fishing is closed.

More information on recreational shrimp seasons, and a description of the marine areas, is available on WDFW’s recreational shrimp fishing section of the website.

A t commercial crab fishery may overlap the recreational shrimp opener in Marine Areas 8-1 and 8-2 on June 13. As a result, treaty commercial boats will be working their crab traps and using certain launch facilities. Shrimpers are asked to exercise patience, plan accordingly, and be respectful of the treaty fishery. Typically, fishing schedules in spring and summer are structured to avoid concurrent fisheries, but they do occasionally occur. Even though shrimp fishing primarily targets deeper water than crab fishing, expect some potential for overlap of gear.

Shrimp fishers are reminded to follow Be Whale Wise regulations and guidelines to help protect endangered Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW). Avoid approaching SRKW, and at minimum stay the required distance away (reference the Be Whale Wise website for more information). For details, visit BeWhaleWise.org.