Coastal Commercial Dungness Crab Fishers and Processors WDFW Industry Notice
July 13, 2009

The area outside 4-miles will remain open through July 31, 2009.

The Coastal Dungeness Crab Summer Fishery Management Plan is now in effect:
The Summer Fishery Management Plan is designed to give WDFW staff the information needed to allow the commercial Dungeness crab fishery to continue during the summer and to provide fishers with some predictability on the implementation of specific management measures to protect soft-shelled crab. Typically, the Summer Fishery Management Plan includes the closure of the waters west of 4-miles beginning on July 1. This year, shell condition sampling indicates that there are large enough numbers of hard-shelled male crab to delay the closure of the area outside 4-miles through July 31, 2009. 

WDFW will continue shell condition testing outside 4-miles. The results from these tests will determine if WDFW can delay the 4-mile closure beyond July 31. 

The following management measures outline the basic details of the Summer Fishery Management Plan:

• Management period is July 1-September 15.
• The area west of four miles will be closed each year from July 1-September 15 (except as extended by this notice.)
• Beginning the third week in June, WDFW will begin bi-weekly crab condition testing using ride-along trips with consenting commercial fishers*.
• If any single shell condition test indicates that less than 50% of the male crab sampled are grades 1A and or 1B, WDFW will impose a 2,500 pound weekly landing limit.
• Following the implementation of the 2,500-pound weekly landing limit, WDFW will continue to test the shell condition of crab.
• If any single shell condition test indicates that 60-79% of the crabs are grades 1A and/or 1B, WDFW will increase the weekly landing limit to 4,000 pounds.
• If any single shell condition test indicates more than 80% of the male crab are grades 1A and/or 1B, the weekly landing limit will be removed for the balance of the season (September 15.)