Pulling drifting pots, legal way to do it?

[Stein]

So we were out for some flounder fishing and a cruise to enjoy the summer heat and noticed a pot floating away in 1200' of water.  I went to see if there was a phone number to pull it for the person but it ended up being a Tulalip subsistence pot without a phone number (just a name and some sort of ID number on a yellow plastic tag).

So, not wanting to deal with the tribe's rules and WDFW on a day closed to recreational crabbing I let it go and went my merry way.

I have pulled a few pots for other guys and was able to get them back to the owner, but it got me thinking, how would a guy pull a pot (not to mention on a closed day) without running the risk of it going south?  My assumption would be that I would have to call WDFW to get permission from a warden, then pull it?

It would be nice if there were clear cut rules, the only thing I can seem to find is that it is illegal to pull a pot without your name on it.  I hate to see stuff get lost that continues fishing and killing for who knows how long.

[h20hunter]

My guess is call it in and leave it be. With a name abd number I would try and call right away and go from there. 

[CP]

page 119 of the regs:

You can report this information to: Northwest Straits Marine Conservative
Initiative
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 360-733-1725 or go to
(Toll Free) 855-542-3935 or go to www.derelictgear.org
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/derelict

If it has a phone # on it I've towed them to shallow water and called the owner with the GPS coordinates.

[Special T]

A friend of mine has several pots he has recovered with a hook after the season was over. He just made sure to dump everything overboard.

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[Stein]

page 119 of the regs:

You can report this information to: Northwest Straits Marine Conservative
Initiative
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 360-733-1725 or go to
(Toll Free) 855-542-3935 or go to www.derelictgear.org
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/derelict

If it has a phone # on it I've towed them to shallow water and called the owner with the GPS coordinates.

That's not a bad idea.  I have always pulled them for the owner, called them and left them at the launch but that probably isn't legal now that I think about it.

[h2ofowlr]

Just pull and open the latches and drop back down.  The crabs can get out that way!

[CP]

"It is ILLEGAL to set or pull unattended shellfish gear with a buoy that does not have your name on it, and only one name and address may appear on each buoy."

[Ellensburg]

I found a few pots last wednesday while cruising from camano to coupeville..

Was not a crab day, but I didnt want to pull their pots.

[CP]

Kind of off topic but last week I passed a tug pulling a log raft.  He had about 2 dozen seals catching a ride and 4 or 5 crab pot buoys lodged in the logs.   So if you think someone has stolen your pots …

[lokidog]

I asked this question to a warden a few years ago as he was checking me for my license.  He had a shrimp pot in his boat and it was after season.  He told me that if I had called the person to let them know, he would not make a big deal of it. But, he would likely call them to see if I had contacted them. I have yet to have a person tell me I'm a jerk for saving them some money on a new trap. 

If it is a recreational pot drifting in deep water, with no name on it, personally, I would pull it anyways. If a crab pot with no name on a closed day, I pull them and open the gate.

I had to remind some people on Lopez Wed that crabbing was not open, they and another group had 8 pots out. I get so tired of dimwits that can't even check the regs or know what they are, it's not like closed T and W are new regulations..... 

[WAcoueshunter]

Funny you say that Loki, I just got to Lopez and passed two shrimp pots on my way in!

[Shrimper]

Funny you say that Loki, I just got to Lopez and passed two shrimp pots on my way in!

Coonstripe and Pink shrimp are open until October 31st with a 200' depth restriction in MA7.

[WAcoueshunter]

Funny you say that Loki, I just got to Lopez and passed two shrimp pots on my way in!

Coonstripe and Pink shrimp are open until October 31st with a 200' depth restriction in MA7.

True, except these are in 250' in a good spot shrimp spot.  I rolled by later and there were numbers on the buoys. Maybe commercial or natives?

[kball4]

I dragged a pot into shore in MA12 in May cause the buoy had no name/address or markings on, by the looks of all the sea life on the buoy and rope. It had been out there for a long time.

[lokidog]

If there's brown slime on the line, it's been in about a week and a half from my experience.