Our crabbing season has been closed throughout Puget Sound and Hood Canal except area 10 because WDFW determined after a phone survey that we have exceeded our quota. Next year our take will be dramatically cut to "make up for" our over harvest. We were only given 15% of the harvestable crab in the first place. The logic or illogic of this allocation was based on the idea that sports crabbers were unable to harvest the available stocks efficiently or timely. So now we showed that we could harvest a decent amount and we are being punished. The commercials get the booty. The following is an email from the president of the Port Townsend chapter of PSA with a peek at what actions are being planned. This does not discuss our pitiful shrimp seasons that have really shrunk to favor the handful of commercial shrimpers. Discussions are supposedly off the table for 5 years! That was part of the WDFW commission decision this spring going against the public and even their own shellfish biologists once again to favor the commercials who pull their strings.

Here's the email:

Hello Everyone!
Well, our crab seasons are going to get cut down even farther! They are going to close our 8-2 area next year from 83 days to 40 days. Do you believe we are taking more and more crab? I don't. The commercials are getting the majority of it. the entire Puget Sound is closed now including Hood Canal. WDFW says we have reached our quota. The only area left open is 10. Here is a letter to go with it.

The East Jefferson (Port Townsend) Puget Sound Anglers is stepping forward along with JD Wade to try and work on us getting our share. Please plan on attending. Remember when you could drop the crab pots on your way out fishing and no matter how bad or good of fishing, you always could count on crab? This is fastly becoming a thing of the past. The WDFW Commission does not care about recreationals at all. They protect the failing commercials with Will Roehl ex-commercial fisherman leading the commission. He has protected them in the WDFW meetings, saying the legislature says they are to provide a viable commercial and recreational fishery. But why the special treatment for them?


Here is the letter from Gary Hulsey:

J.D. Wade and I have come up with a plan of action to address the loss of crab season in Puget Sound. We have run it by Clint and he approves. Clint and J.D. are planning to be in Port Townsend Tuesday evening at our meeting where we will begin the implementation of the plan.
This plan will require the help of the entire PSA organization and may well facilitate the major crab policy changes that will be required to save recreational crabbing in Puget Sound.
What we are going to do is circulate a petition and gather at least 10,000 names and present it to the commission in Port Townsend at their Dec. 5 and 6 meeting. At the time of presentation we will have 1000 boats on trailers in Port Townsend with TV and print coverage and then convoy to Fort Warden, where the commission meeting is being held.
The final draft of the petition is complete and we will begin collecting names on Wednesday. Time is of the essences and we must start now.
If every chapter filled just 30 pages of this petition we would have 10,000 names. These names need only be people who are eligible to have a catch record card.
This seems doable to me. It may be harder to get that many trailer boats in town on the 6th of Dec. but it is a worthy goal and would certainly be newsworthy.
If you can attend or send someone to represent your chapter please be here. If someone wants to come and needs a place to crash let me know.
There is a lot at stake here and we will need all the help we can muster to make this successful.
15.4% is not enough
Gary Hulsey
East Jefferson Chapter