Summer crabbing season to open in Puget Sound

Quixotic · Jun-09-2008, 06:07 PM

Summer crabbing season to open in Puget Sound
OLYMPIA - Sport crabbers planning to fish for crab in Puget Sound this summer will find the upcoming season similar to last year's, including catch-reporting procedures required by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
Starting June 18, crab fishing will open seven days a week in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca and southern Puget Sound. Most other marine areas will open July 2 on a Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule, although some waters north of Anacortes will not open until later in summer.

Puget Sound recreational crabbing areas will open at 7 a.m. on the following dates:

June 18: Marine areas 4 (Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5 (Sekiu) and 13 (south Puget Sound) will open seven days per week through Jan. 2, 2009.
July 2: Marine areas 6 (eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca), 7 South (San Juan Islands), 8-1 (Deception Pass to East Point), 8-2 (East Point to Possession Point), 9 (Admiralty Inlet), 10 (Seattle/Bremerton), 11 (Tacoma/Vashon) and 12 (Hood Canal) will open Wednesdays through Saturdays only, plus the entire Labor Day weekend and will close the evening of Sept. 1 for a catch assessment. These areas will reopen in the fall if recreational harvest quotas have not been met.
July 16: Marine Area 7 East (Bellingham and Samish bays) will open Wednesdays through Saturdays only, plus the entire Labor Day weekend and will close the evening of Sept. 30.
Aug. 13: Marine Area 7 North (Lummi Island/Blaine) will open Wednesdays through Saturdays only, plus the entire Labor Day weekend and will close the evening of Sept. 30.

This is the second year sport crabbers in Puget Sound will be required to record their Dungeness crab catch on two separate catch record cards - one for the summer season and one for the fall/winter season, said Rich Childers, WDFW shellfish policy coordinator.
Sport crabbers will again have the option of reporting their catch on the Internet or by mailing in their catch cards. Either way, it's important for crabbers to report their crab information, Childers said.
"Catch reports are an important tool in managing the Puget Sound crab fishery," Childers said. "We need to hear from everyone - including those who didn't catch any crab - because more data provides greater accuracy in estimating the catch and developing future fishing seasons."
To submit catch reports, crabbers may either send their catch record card to WDFW by mail, or file their report on a special webpage on the department's licensing website from Sept. 2-15.
As an incentive, sport crabbers who submit their catch reports by the Sept. 15 deadline will be entered in a raffle to win one of 10 free 2009 combination licenses, which allow the holder to fish for a variety of freshwater and saltwater species.
Childers reminds fishers that crab catch record cards are separate from the multi-species card used for recording catches of salmon, halibut and other fish. Also, catch record cards are not required to fish for Dungeness crab on the Washington coast (marine areas 1-4).
In addition to catch-card requirements, anyone fishing for crab in Puget Sound must purchase a $3 license endorsement, which is free to fishers under age 15, although dealer fees may apply. All fishers age 15 or older must also carry an applicable Washington fishing license in order to fish for crab anywhere in Washington.
The daily catch limit in Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, males only, in hard-shell condition with a minimum carapace width of 6¼ inches. Fishers may catch six red rock crab of either sex per day, provided those crab measure at least 5 inches across. Additional information is available in WDFW's Fishing in Washington pamphlet on the website at WDFW -- Washington State Sportfishing Rules and Regulations,

Tower Todd · Jun-09-2008, 06:47 PM

Shizzle! Can't wait for that opening day!

TT

Socket985 · Jun-09-2008, 07:16 PM

Question

Why is the South Sound Area 13 open so much longer than the Central/North area
Is the South Sound area really that much better to warrant such a long season?

goatram · Jun-09-2008, 07:55 PM

Summers coming and it should be a good one! Thanks for the post Harold. Something more to look forward too

Tower Todd · Jun-09-2008, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Socket985

Question

Why is the South Sound Area 13 open so much longer than the Central/North area
Is the South Sound area really that much better to warrant such a long season?

Shooting from the hip here: Way less pressure than this end, hence the longer seasons.

TT

dragonballs · Jun-09-2008, 08:20 PM

not as much access and lower numbers of population also are considered in the dates and areas that are open. the state of washington can suck my dick as far a the crabbing regulations go......today we are allowed 3 months for crabbing and in the past it was 7. you are limited to 5 crabs per person instead of 6 and we pay more for licenses and catch counts. The tribes and the commercial crabbers pay less per capita than the sportsman and the sportsman take it in ass when it comes to allotments. I don't mean to sound bitter but wdfw can suck my dick when it comes down to it......

Tower Todd · Jun-09-2008, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonballs

not as much access and lower numbers of population also are considered in the dates and areas that are open. the state of washington can suck my dick as far a the crabbing regulations go......today we are allowed 3 months for crabbing and in the past it was 7. you are limited to 5 crabs per person instead of 6 and we pay more for licenses and catch counts. The tribes and the commercial crabbers pay less per capita than the sportsman and the sportsman take it in ass when it comes to allotments. I don't mean to sound bitter but wdfw can suck my dick when it comes down to it......

Nice speech brutha. I couldn't agree more.

TT

Reel Nauti · Jun-09-2008, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonballs

not as much access and lower numbers of population also are considered in the dates and areas that are open. the state of washington can suck my dick as far a the crabbing regulations go......today we are allowed 3 months for crabbing and in the past it was 7. you are limited to 5 crabs per person instead of 6 and we pay more for licenses and catch counts. The tribes and the commercial crabbers pay less per capita than the sportsman and the sportsman take it in ass when it comes to allotments. I don't mean to sound bitter but wdfw can suck my dick when it comes down to it......

Why don't you tell us how you really feel.....

Quixotic · Jun-10-2008, 11:33 PM

Crab dab a doo

WDFW - Shellfish: Puget Sound Sport Crab Fishing

**Cornfed** · Jun-11-2008, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonballs

not as much access and lower numbers of population also are considered in the dates and areas that are open. the state of washington can suck my dick as far a the crabbing regulations go......today we are allowed 3 months for crabbing and in the past it was 7. you are limited to 5 crabs per person instead of 6 and we pay more for licenses and catch counts. The tribes and the commercial crabbers pay less per capita than the sportsman and the sportsman take it in ass when it comes to allotments. I don't mean to sound bitter but wdfw can suck my dick when it comes down to it......

Ya know....Vance....I am starting to worry about you with all this talk about sucking pole, taking it in the ass, sword fighting with little boys....I think you are in the advanced stages of

I can't wait for crabbing either. I am going to try to do it during the week (wednesday, thursday) at alki and 4 mile rock and save the weekends for neah or westport.

I am glad I kept that 6 cubic feet of crab bait in my freezer now...hehehe.

dragonballs · Jun-11-2008, 08:25 AM

you crack me up you are a funny man. don't worry about the gay thing I just get riled up over some of the stupid things wdfw does to the local sportsman.

**Cornfed** · Jun-11-2008, 08:43 AM

I know....I am just getting belligerent with this LACK OF FISHING that I have been doing. I am changing that this weekend at Neah Bay. I just hope we get into some nice fish or it will be back to my belligerent state.

As far as crabbing goes though...I am dying to go. That is the only seafood that is NOT in my freezer. I am just thinking about that fresh crab with butter and cold summer alaskan amber...oh well...back to WORK