PORT TOWNSEND – Several marine areas of Puget Sound reopened to recreational crabbing Tuesday, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.
The openings were approved by fishery managers after summer catch assessments by WDFW indicated additional crab are available for harvest during the late season.
Waters reopening to sport crabbing Tuesday include marine areas 4 (Neah Bay, east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5 (Sekiu), 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 (San Juan Islands), 8-1 (Deception Pass, Hope Island, and Skagit Bay), 8-2 (Port Susan and Port Gardiner), and 9 (Admiralty Inlet), except for waters south of a line from Olele Point to Foulweather Bluff.
In each area, crabbing will be allowed seven days a week through Dec. 31. Sport crabbers are reminded that setting or pulling traps from a vessel is only allowed from one hour before official sunrise through one hour after official sunset.
Sport crabbing will not reopen for winter in marine areas 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Vashon Island), and 13 (South Puget Sound). It is still uncertain whether portions of marine areas 9 (Port Gamble/Port Ludlow) and 12 (Hood Canal — North of Ayock Point) will open for a shortened winter season. WDFW expects to announce a decision in the future on whether these areas will reopen.
The daily limit in Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, males only, in hard-shell condition with a minimum carapace width of 6¼ inches. Crabbers may also catch six red rock crab of either sex per day with a minimum carapace width of 5 inches, and six Tanner crab of either sex with a minimum carapace of 4 1/2 inches. Additional information is available on WDFW’s website.
You must have a Puget Sound Dungeness crab endorsement to harvest Dungeness crab from Puget Sound. All Dungeness crab caught in the late-season recreational fishery must be recorded immediately on winter catch record cards, which are valid through Dec. 31. Winter catch record cards are free to those with crab endorsements and are available at license vendors across the state.
Winter catch reports are due to WDFW by Feb.1, 2020. For more information on catch record cards, visit WDFW’s website.
