OLYMPIA — With quota remaining in the recreational spot shrimp fishery, state shellfish managers have added some final days to catch spot shrimp in several Puget Sound marine areas, including areas in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Admiralty Inlet.
“These will be the last opportunities in these areas to recreationally harvest spot shrimp in 2022,” said Don Velasquez, crustacean biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Those additional opportunities include:
The Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, Marine Area 6 (excluding the Discovery Bay Shrimp District), which goes from Low Point near the Lyre River east to Point Wilson near Port Townsend, will open for five additional days of recreational spot shrimp harvest from Aug. 17 through Aug. 21.
Marine Areas 4 (Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line) and 5 (Sekiu) are currently open to recreational spot shrimp harvest.
Marine Area 7 South (South of Lopez Island) will open for five additional days from Aug. 17 through Aug. 21 and Marine Area 7 West (west of San Juan Island) will open for three additional days from Aug. 18 through Aug. 20.
In all areas open for all shrimp including spot shrimp, the daily limit is 80 spot shrimp with a total daily weight limit of 10 pounds (whole shrimp) all species combined. This season, shrimpers who retain only spot shrimp may remove and discard the heads while in the field and before returning to shore — previously all shrimp heads were required to be retained after June 1.
Shrimpers retaining any shrimp species other than spot shrimp must continue to retain the heads of all species (including spot shrimp) until finished and on shore to verify compliance with the 10-pound daily limit. All shrimp — including spot, dock, coonstripe and pink shrimp — can be kept as part of the daily limit. However, because only larger-mesh (1-inch) traps are allowed during spot shrimp seasons, most of the harvest will be spot shrimp.
