Tug, this steep downward trend has been on WDFW's radar for quite awhile and apparently WDFW shellfish folks have been trying for three or four years to get the tribes to agree to a cessation to no avail until now.

Here is a link to the most recent annual crab report to the Commission which includes some new slides showing recruitment data:

https://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/meetings/2018/04/apr_1218_25_presentation.pdf.

Note that in Region 7 they don't even show any recreational harvest on the bar graph and last year's report had a barely visible harvest. (https://wdfw.wa.gov/commission/meetings/2017/08/aug0417_18_presentation.pdf)

As a concerned crabber I sent in a number of recommendations early this year to include one that was specific to your question. I suggested that there needs to be a slide for each management area over time showing the agreed to harvest numbers and resulting respective harvest numbers for State and Tribes. Why?

First, it is important for us to have visibility of any disparity in the 50/50 split. Secondly, if one looks at the aggregate harvest numbers over time one would think all is well with this resource. But we all know better. I will add that there is something inherently wrong when the data used to negotiate a particular areas total harvestable poundage is provided by the group which fishes first.

The rapid demise of the resource in South Sound is hidden by the positive numbers from 2E, 2W and particularly Area 1 (San Juans) where there were at least two increases in harvest negotiated with the tribes in 2017 due to abundance.

We will see if Mr. Sizemore is willing to incorporate that particular recommendation for his report after the 2018 season.