Coastal Commercial Crab Opener Announced

https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/...22019_final.pdf

I find it interesting that it seems to be opening consistently late the last few years compared to years past. Soon to be coming to a grocery store near you! Wonder how much longer that will last the way everything else is going. Merry XMAS!

What's with the few areas inside being open until January 31? Why not bank that "extra" crab for next year? And no catch card needed, open 7 days a week? How are they going to know how many harvested?

NT crab fishermen don't like it.....the QIN will/are crabbing before the December 31, 2019 date.

The QIN netting schedule for the Chehalis River is 6 days a Week but I've heard that many of the tribe members, now are crabbing.....so that's a good thing for fish making the spawning run to the Wynoochee, Satsop and other points up river...

Do you really think that rec crabbers are going to take the 12,000+ crab estimated to be taken by them in 2E in January? That is, after the NT commercials harvested most of the rec's winter poundage, their own residual 310K PLUS 150K? And after WDFW agreed to an overall increase of 400K pounds to allow poundage for the tribes to fish to equity? And then after WDFW negotiated another overall increase of 200K pounds?

A cynic might suggest that not finding a way to document rec crab taken in January is a way to avoid the reality of paper crab.

There may have been a honey hole inside Port Gardiner Bay but elsewhere?

Cynic cap is atop the head......so, the ocean season was delayed enough to allow the tribes and NT commercials to maximize the value of Puget Sound crab harvest. Amazing how that works.

That is what I figured. Leave it open for the recs so it "feels" like we are getting something when reality is....there isn't much there.