Crabbing is one of Puget Sound’s most popular
recreational fisheries. Each year, sport fishers
catch more than a million pounds of Dungeness
crab, using pots, ring nets and – in the
case of wade and dive fishers – their bare
hands.
In addition to meeting licensing
requirements, everyone who fishes for crab
in Puget Sound must carry and complete catch
record cards to account for all Dungeness
crab they catch. Recent changes in the reporting
system now in effect:
Two-card reporting system: All sport
crabbers fishing in Puget Sound are required
to report their Dungeness crab catch on separate
summer and fall/winter catch record cards at
the end of each season. The new cards are separate
from the multi-species card used for recording
catches of salmon, halibut and other fish. People
of all ages who have a crab endorsement and
received a catch record card are required to
make a report even if they did not go crabbing
or catch any crab.
On-line reporting: Sport crabbers can
either report their information on the WDFW
crab reporting website or mail in their
catch cards. The website address for reporting
crab catches is printed on the catch record
card along with reporting deadlines.
No coastal reporting: Catch record
cards are required for those fishing for Dungeness
crab along the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget
Sound, which includes marine area 4 (east of
the Bonilla-Tatoosh line) and marine areas 5-13.
They are not required along the coast, which
includes marine areas 1-3 and marine area 4
(west of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line).
Failure to report penalty: If crabbers fail to report their summer or winter harvest, they will be assessed a $10 penalty with the following year's license purchase.
Fishery managers rely on individual catch record
card reports to estimate recreational harvest
and to set future crabbing opportunities. By completing
catch record cards, fishers play a vital role
in maintaining sustainable harvest opportunities.
Click
on the map below in the area
for crab
season and limit information
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