Crab fishing to reopen in Marine Area 10



OLYMPIA – The recreational crab fishing season in Marine Area 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) will reopen for the month of December, joining the rest of Puget Sound already open to late-season crabbing.



Rich Childers, shellfish manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), said enough crab are available for harvest in the marine area to allow for the limited opportunity.



The marine area has been closed since the summer-fishery ended in early September, when fishery managers conducted a catch assessment of all Puget Sound crab fisheries.



Unlike on Washington’s coast, marine toxins have not been an issue in Puget Sound crab.



Crabbing in Marine Area 10 will get under way Dec. 1 at 8 a.m., and will be open seven days a week. All other marine areas of Puget Sound are already open to crab fishing daily through Dec. 31. Additional information is available on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/crab/.

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. In addition, fishers may catch six red rock crab of either sex per day, provided those crab measure at least 5 inches across.

All Dungeness crab caught in the late-season fishery must be recorded on winter catch cards, which are valid through Dec. 31. Winter cards – free to those with crab endorsements – are available at license vendors across the state.

Winter catch reports are due to WDFW by Feb. 1, 2016. For more information on catch record cards, visit WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/crab/crc.html.

I'm at a bit of a loss....So there were not enough crabs initially, then there were......this a gift to offset the lack of a blackmouth season? And now there is a major commie fishery (tribal?) underway in A-10, probably 100 pots off Rockaway on BI alone. There are even pots all the way past the creosote plant inside of the 5 mph bouy in Winslow Harbor, in an area permanently closed to shellfishing due to pollution. Glad I'm not the person eating those, especially in light of the recent studies on overall toxics problems with crabs in Puget Sound.

With Pacific coast Dungeness seasons delayed due to toxins prices are way up so those who can commercially crab Puget Sound are doing so (whole crab last week at Fred Meyer was $9.99/#). MA 10 and south are closed to non-tribal commercial harvest as is the Canal.

As for whether to open the winter recreational season in any given management area the WDFW manager making the decision could be more transparent by simply providing some basic numbers starting with the agreed upon total allowable harvest and the resulting State share followed by the recreational summer harvest leaving the balance, if any, available for a recreational winter fishery.

According to the current management plan if the residual poundage (if any) in any MA is insufficient for a full recreational winter season the Department is to provide openings around the holidays (Thanksgiving/Christmas) but still stay within the State's share. It certainly appears that WDFW has provided that reduced winter recreational opener in MA 10.

But why not just hit a few extra key strokes and provide enough into for stakeholders to better understand the facts and rationale?

Or maybe one of the Advisory Group members can provide some insight. After all, the advisory groups are in place to provide exchange of information.

Watched a tribal commie pull rec pots off Mukilteo last week.

That'll help take some pressure off 8-1 & 8-2. Crabbing up here has been excellent. Big, hard shell and hungry.

My daughter and I hauled 2 pots after a 20 min soak that had 14 and 16 crab respectively. I'll go pull them rebait and drop again this afternoon.

I am fed up with the way our resources are mismanaged and misappropriated in this state. I'm about a year out from never buying another Washington state fishing license.

Just another way for you to have "opportunity" what a joke.