Washington recreational crabbing season starts soon

Washington is set to launch recreational crabbing this summer around a month after Chinook salmon fishing season began. But two areas will remain closed to the public this year.

Residents in the Puget Sound can start crab fishing as early as July 1, according to a news release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The schedule for each applicable marine area across the state is as follows:

• Marine Area 4 — Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line: Open July 1 through Sept. 4, Thursday-Monday only
• Marine Area 5 — Sekiu: Open July 1 through Sept. 4, Thursday-Monday only
• Marine Area 6 — East Juan de Fuca Strait: Open July 1 through Sept. 4, Thursday-Monday only
• Marine Area 7 (North) — Gulf of Georgia: Open Aug. 17 through Sept. 30, Thursday-Monday only
• Marine Area 7 (South) — San Juan Islands/Bellingham: Open July 15 through Sept. 30, Thursday-Monday only
• Marine Area 8-1 — Deception Pass: Open July 1 through Sept. 4, Thursday-Monday only
• Marine Area 8-2 — Port Susan/Everett: Open July 1 through Sept. 4, Thursday-Monday only
• Marine Area 9 — Port Gamble and Admiralty Inlet: Open July 1 through Sept. 4, Thursday-Monday only
• Marine Area 10 — Seattle/Bremerton: Open July 2 through Sept. 4, Sunday-Monday only
• Marine Area 11 — Tacoma-Vashon Island: Open July 2 through Aug. 28, Sunday-Monday only
• Marine Area 12 — Hood Canal north of a line projected true east from Ayock Point: Open July 1 through Sept. 4, Thursday-Monday only

Two marines areas will be closed this year due to weak Dungeness crab populations:

• Marine Area 12 — Hood Canal, south of a line projected true east from Ayock Point
• Marine Area 13 — South Puget Sound

Crab fishers can catch and keep three crustacean species: the Dungeness, Red rock and Tanner crabs.

WDFW crabbing guidelines

Crab fishers aged 15 and older must get a recreational fishing license from WDFW in Washington state. Residents have to abide by other regulations and procedures when hunting for crabs.

Regulations include:

Catching limit: Crab fishers in Puget Sound may only take a maximum of five hard-shelled male Dungeness crabs that have carapaces with a width at least 6 and a quarter inches long. Fishers can catch up to six Red rock crabs a day but they must be hard-shelled and have a carapace with a width at least 5 inches long. Tanner crabs must have a hard shell and a carapace at least 4 and a half inches in width, and crab fishers can keep up to six per day.

Catch report card: Anglers in the Puget Sound area who harvest Dungeness crab must report their total harvest to WDFW online or by mailing in their physical catch report cards to the department by Oct. 1. Online cards are available on the recreational license page. Fishers who don’t hand in a report card will result in a $10 penalty on their next crab endorsement purchase. Catch cards only apply to fishers who keep Dungeness crabs and not the Red rock or Tanner species. Catch cards also don’t apply to those who fish for Dungeness crabs in the Columbia River or Washington’s coast.

Traps: All traps must be removed from the water on days when recreational crabbing is prohibited.

Test: WDFW has an online test for crab fishers to take to test their crab fishing know-how before heading to the Puget Sound or state’s coast. You can take the multi-choice quiz, which only takes a few minutes to complete, on the department’s website.