My experience is somewhat different in that whatever legal crab are left over by the July rec opener are quickly further depleted (2 weeks?) and that has been happening since the population started on a downward trend after those huge numbers of 6-8 years ago.

FYI - When the current policy was being evaluated by Staff they expressed concerns that all of the State quota in MA 9 would be taken in the summer season meaning no winter season. They also were concerned that in 8-2 there would be some residual poundage for NT commercials but that the poundage would be so low that WDFW might not be able to obtain and analyze that NT commercial harvest fast enough to prevent an over harvest of the State's 50%. I believe the time line for the NT harvest was two weeks. So what has happened?

In neither 8-2 nor 9 has the recreational summer plus winter harvest come close to the State's share with the result being that both areas have had NT commercial harvest. Not only that but the NT commercial seasons have run through January and into February consistently. So how can that be?

Two factors. First, the price of crab has continued to go up both ex vessel and at retail (to include Asian markets) and secondly those long seasons allow the NT commercials to work on crab that are molting and growing into the size allowable for harvest. Those are crab that would have been potentially available for recreational harvest that next summer.

So what can be done? Recalling that 8-1, 8-2 and 9 were identified to be primarily managed for recreational harvest the Commission and Staff could eliminate any NT commercial harvest in those areas. If that is unacceptable they could limit the period of any NT commercial seasons to a few weeks. Or they could simply start the winter rec season immediately after Labor Day and allow the recs to crab during the last of the decent weather for the year. Or some combination thereof.