Location
Key Information
| 74 km2 | MARINE AREA |
| 77 km2 | TOTAL AREA i |
- Commercial marine life removal is prohibited
- Both commercial and recreational marine life removal are heavily restricted
- Recreational marine life removal is prohibited, and commercial marine life removal is restricted
Boundary: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (Boundary Simplified for Display)
2.0
November 2023
Feedback and Data Requests
Purpose
To preserve recreational fishing opportunities within the sheltered waters of the Puget Sound, which have historically provided the citizens of the state with the safest and most convenient access to productive marine recreational fishing. Recreational fishing opportunities in the Puget Sound for salmon and marine bottomfish have declined in the past two decades. Seasonal and permanent closures ensure that fish stocks are rebuilt and that fishing opportunities are restored.
Species of Concern: Multiple, Lingcod, Herring, Anchovy, Smelt, Crab, English sole, Starry flounder, Shellfish, Sixgill shark, Rockfish, Bottomfish
Regulations Summary
Restrictions
1. It is unlawful to possess lingcod taken with commercial gear.
2. It is unlawful to take herring and anchovy with purse seine gear.
3. It is unlawful to take herring or anchovy with any gear other than dip bag net.
4. It is unlawful to take, fish for, or possess smelt for commercial purposes.
5. It is unlawful to take, fish for, or possess bottomfish with drag seine gear for commercial purposes.
The following restrictions apply to all Puget Sound Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas:
1. It is unlawful to possess English sole less than 12 inches in length taken with commercial bottomfish gear.
2. It is unlawful to fish for or possess for commercial purposes any starry flounder less than 14 inches in length taken by any commercial gear.
3. It is unlawful to retain sixgill shark taken with commercial fishing gear.
4. It is unlawful to retain any species of rockfish taken with commercial fishing gear.
5. It is unlawful to fish for or possess bottomfish taken with the following gear: otter trawl, beam trawl, dogfish set net gear, pacific cod set net gear, set line gear, commercial jig gear, and troll line gear.
Allowed
Hardshell clams, oysters, and geoducks are excluded from this closure.
Treaty Indian tribes (Makah, Quileute, Hoh, and Quinault) have treaty rights to fish for groundfish in the Pacific Ocean. A member of a Pacific Coast treaty Indian tribe fishing within their U&A fishing area is not subject to the restrictions.