The Puget Sound recreational summer crab-fishing seasons will have two additional days on Aug. 27-28 in most marine areas, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced.
“With the addition of these two crabbing days in many Puget Sound marine areas (except Marine Areas 10 and 11), the pre-Labor Day summer fishery will be similar to the recent year average season length,” said Fish and Wildlife Crustacean Biologist Don Velasquez.
The two days are being added to the previously announced summer recreational crab seasons in all waters of Marine Areas 4 east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line, 5, 6, 7, 8-1, 8-2, 7 South, 7 North, 9, and 12 north of Ayock Point.
Summer crab seasons are typically closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Puget Sound marine areas.
Recreational crabbers should target the portion of the day with the least tide exchange and make sure crab pots are properly weighted down during these extreme low tides to avoid traps moving and becoming lost.
Crabbers are also reminded to avoid deploying crab pots in ferry lanes as they have caused serious damage to ferries in the past.
The remainder of the summer’s crab seasons are scheduled to open as follows:
Marine Area 6 (East Juan de Fuca Strait, Port Angeles, Discovery Bay), Marine Area 8-1 (Deception Pass), Marine Area 8-2 (Port Susan/Everett), and Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) are open through Sept. 2, with crabbing allowed Thursdays through Mondays only, as well as Aug. 27-28.
Marine Area 7 South (San Juan Islands/Bellingham) is open through Sept. 30, with crabbing allowed Thursdays through Mondays only, and also open Aug. 27-28.
Marine Area 7 North (Gulf of Georgia) is open through Sept. 30, with crabbing allowed Thursdays through Mondays only, and also open Aug. 27-28.
Fish and Wildlife will have creel staff at many boat launch and access sites to gather additional information from recreational crabbers. The information collected by staff is important for management of the crab fishery.
The daily limit throughout Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, males only, in hard-shell condition with a minimum carapace width of 6 1/4 inches.
Fishers may also keep six red rock crab of either sex per day in open areas, provided the crab are in hard-shell condition and measure at least 5 inches carapace width.
Crab fishers may not set or pull shellfish gear from a vessel from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.
Each unattended trap must have its own buoy line and a separate buoy that is permanently and legibly marked with the first name, last name, and permanent address of the licensed harvester. All traps must be removed from the water on days when the fishery is closed.
Puget Sound crabbers are required to record their Dungeness crab harvest on their catch record cards immediately after retaining the crab and before re-deploying the trap.
Anglers who crab in Marine Area 7 North and South after Labor Day weekend will need a winter catch record card.
A separate catch record card is issued for the summer and winter seasons.
Completed summer cards, regardless of whether any crab are caught, must be submitted, or reported online to Fish and Wildlife by Oct. 1.
A catch record card is not required to fish for Dungeness crab in the Columbia River or on the Washington coast, where crabbing is open year-round.
Crabbers are reminded to follow “Be Whale Wise” regulations and guidelines to help protect endangered Southern Resident orcas including not approaching and staying the required distance away.
