Six areas of Puget Sound will reopen
for 1 more day of fishing for spot shrimp
OLYMPIA – Shrimp fishers will get one more day to catch their limit of spot shrimp in several areas of Puget Sound this year, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
Areas set to reopen May 25 for recreational shrimp fishing include the Discovery Bay Shrimp District, marine areas 8-1 (Skagit Bay/Saratoga Passage), 8-2 (Port Susan/Port Gardner), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon Island), and a portion of Marine Area 10 outside of Elliott Bay, west of a line from West Point to Alki Point.
The fishery in those areas will run from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Hood Canal Shrimp District will also open May 25 as previously scheduled, and will reopen for one additional day June 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Mark O’Toole, a WDFW shellfish biologist, said rough weather reduced the expected catch in all six areas of Puget Sound during openings earlier this month.
“Catch rates by individual boats were generally high, but strong winds and high seas kept some people off the water,” O’Toole said. “That left enough spot shrimp available under the quota for one more day of fishing in these areas.”
In all areas, the catch limit is 80 shrimp per day. A valid 2011-12 fishing license is required to participate in the fishery.
Starting June 1, sport-fishing seasons for coonstripe and pink shrimp will get under way in the following areas:
Marine Areas 8-1, 8-2, 9 and 11, with a 150-foot maximum fishing depth restriction.
The north/central portion of Marine Area 7 (San Juan Islands), with a 200-foot maximum fishing depth restriction.
Marine Area 13 in southern Puget Sound.
All spot shrimp must be immediately returned to the water during those fisheries, which run through Oct. 15.
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