Several species of crab are found in Washington's marine waters and along its shores, though only a few are large enough to be of commercial and sport interest. Crabs are crustaceans, having an exterior skeleton or shell. Two crab species (Dungeness and red rock) are harvested locally. Crabs are commonly harvested with crab pots, but also caught using ring nets, dip nets, and by wading in shallow water during spring and early summer.

One of the most popular items on Washington seafood menus is the Dungeness crab. This hardshelled crustacean is fished from the Aleutian Islands to Mexico. The shell is purple-tinged, grayish-brown on the back, with white tipped claws. The Dungeness crab can reach ten inches across the back, with six to seven inches being more common. This crab is most abundant in Puget Sound north of Seattle, in Hood Canal, and along the coast. The Dungeness crab is frequently associated with eelgrass beds, and prefers sandy or muddy substrates.

Another species similar to, but smaller than the Dungeness, is the red crab, rock crab, or red rock crab. Since this crab usually measures less than six inches across the back, it is less meaty than the Dungeness. It does have delicious meat, however, and is characterized by large claws. Where present in considerable abundance, the red crab is a serious predator on both oysters and hard-shell clams. In some areas, controls have been necessary to prevent undue damage to clam and oyster crops. It can be distinguished from the Dungeness by the presence of black on the tips of its pinchers and by its red coloration and prefers rocky substrates..

Two deep-water species that are occasionally seen in Puget Sound and also occur in deep water off the coast are the box crab and its close relative the king crab. The latter is called the king crab because of its large size when fully grown (up to 10 inches wide) but is not to be confused with the commercial king crab of Alaska. These crabs are more apt to be seen by divers than fishers with pots. Both are covered with wart-like tubercles and spines and resemble a rough box when they fold their legs and claws against the body. The box crab gets its name from the opening or foramen formed from matching semicircular notches in the claws and first walking legs. When the legs are folded tightly, water enters the gill cavity through this round opening. In the king crab this opening is absent.

Mating occurs between hard-shelled male crabs and newly molted, soft-shelled female crabs. Take care not to disturb these clasping crab when fishing intertidally. The female crab stores the sperm in a seminal receptacle. Because the female loses the sperm receptacle during growth molts, she cannot molt at the same time the male molts.

The eggs are fertilized when they are laid or extruded to become attached to the abdomen of the female. The mass of eggs carried by the female is frequently called the sponge. When first laid, these eggs are bright orange in color. Females in this condition are commonly found buried in the sand or subtidal bottoms. Large females may carry in excess of 21/2 million eggs. As the embryos develop, the eggs darken to a dirty brown before hatching into larval crabs. In no way resembling an adult crab at first, the larvae swim freely in the sea and progress through a series of molts in which their appearance changes considerably. Dense swarms of crab larvae are often seen in the water and are fed-on extensively by other marine organisms, including salmon. Finally accepting adult configuration, the juvenile crab, about a quarter of an inch in width, takes up bottom residence, about 12 months after mating. Large numbers of young crabs are found in estuaries where they can tolerate dilutions of two parts fresh water to one part ocean water. The Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay estuaries are considered unique "nursery" areas for Dungeness crabs and certain fishes such as English sole, with which they share the bottom environment.

Because crabs are enclosed in a rigid exterior skeleton, they can grow only by shedding their shells. This molting takes place about seven times during the first year of bottom life and at a decelerating rate in subsequent years. An average size of 13/4 inches across the back is reached one year after the crab takes up bottom life. During a molt, the male crab will gain about 65 percent in weight.

After the second year, most of the crabs are sexually mature, and a difference in the rate of growth appears between the males and the females. The females then grow slower, and only a small percentage attain a size of over 61/4 inches across the back despite complete protection.

Before a crab sheds its present shell, a flexible new shell has formed under the old covering. The old shell splits across the rear along what is known as the splitting or suture line and this allows the new-shelled crab to back out of the old shell. Even the coverings of the eye stalks and gills remain with the shed carapace. On emergence of the new-shelled crab, the tissues are saturated with water and expand the new shell to a larger size. At this stage, the soft-shelled crabs are readily susceptible to predators such as fish and other crabs, especially when confined in a pot. If you find these crab in your pot, please handle with care. For a couple of days the new-shelled crab most likely to survive will be those well hidden or buried in the sand. Within a few days, the soft-shell crabs become active, ravenous feeders. It takes about two months, however, for the soft-shelled crabs to fill with meat and become prime quality hard-shelled crabs.

The shed shells may wash in on the beaches in large numbers and become the basis for false reports of dead crabs. In quiet waters or boat basins, the crab's back that has lifted during molting to let the soft crab out, will drop back into position and the crab will appear to be whole and complete and thus easily mistaken for a dead crab.

Tagging studies have shown that the loss of legs reduces the chances of survival, but crabs do have the power to regenerate missing appendages. Complete regeneration requires two or three molts, which explains the occurrence of small, misshapen claws or legs. During the early part of life, lost claws or legs are quickly replaced because of frequent molting but the same loss to an older crab could take years to replace.

The examination of stomach contents of Dungeness crabs has shown that they feed on a variety of marine forms. Stomachs of ocean crabs have most commonly contained clams, both hardshell and razor clam types, fish and crabs, and other items such as starfish, worms, squid, snails, and eggs from the fish or crabs. Stomach contents confirm the cannibalistic nature of Dungeness crabs. This predation on newly molted crabs by fellow residents in aquaria creates a problem in laboratory studies on crabs.

Contrary to general belief, laboratory observations and stomach samples indicate that Dungeness crabs will not consume food in a putrid condition.

The crab has enemies in addition to those of its own species. These include fishes such as halibut, dogfish, hake, lingcod, great marbled sculpin, and wolf eel. The Dungeness crab is also a favorite food of the octopus. Human endeavors such as gillnetting for salmon, otter trawling for bottomfish, and dredging to maintain ship channels all take their toll of Dungeness crabs.

The Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) is found in commercial quantities from the Aleutian islands in Alaska to south of San Francisco. This crab got its common name from a small fishing village on the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington where the first commercial fishing was done for this species. The Dungeness crab fishery is said to be the oldest known shellfish fishery of the North Pacific coast. It is the only commercially important crab within Washington's territorial waters. The most productive crabbing grounds lie along the coast of Washington from the Columbia River to, the vicinity of Destruction Island. Willapa Bay is also an important area in the coastal fishery, and Grays Harbor provides fair catches.

Catches on the coast fluctuate from four to 18 million pounds annually, and have averaged over nine million pounds for the past 10 years. An average season is worth over $4 million to coastal crab fishermen, but they usually make the bulk of their landings in the months of December, January, and February when ocean conditions are at their worst. More than 30,000 specialized crab pots are deployed by 130 vessels. Fishermen with large vessels sometimes tend over 500 pots valued at more than $75 each.

The Puget Sound District produces commercial crab catches averaging about one million pounds annually. The Puget Sound fishery for Dungeness crabs occurs almost entirely north of Everett, particularly in the Blaine-Point Roberts area. Other areas that produce commercial quantities include Bellingham, Samish, Padilla, Skagit and Dungeness Bays, Port Gardner and Port Susan. Since 1972, the peak number of commercial vessels each season has averaged about 120. Puget Sound fishermen are limited to 100 pots and use smaller boats and lighter pots than do ocean fishermen. Inside Dungeness Bay the commercial pot limit is 25.

The sport fishery for Dungeness crabs is important in Puget Sound and some of the coastal areas. Intensive sport utilization has been observed at Birch Bay, off Neptune Beach just north of Lummi Island, Samish Bay, Padilla Bay near Anacortes, Utsaladdy Bay on Camano Island, Port Susan, Hood Canal and in Dungeness Bay. Several crabbing methods are employed in the sport fishery, depending upon local conditions.

Crab pots - Sport fishermen can purchase mesh pots or use their ingenuity to rig up pots of netting or wire mesh over an iron frame in which one or two funnel-shaped openings called tunnels are left for the entry of crabs. Rapid exit from the pot via the tunnel is prevented by a "trigger" device. Two escape rings 4-1/4 inches inside diameter is required in all crab pots having tunnel triggers. All crab pots must be equipped with a biodegradable device consisting of either: (1) securing the pot lid hook or tiedown strap with a single loop of cord, (2) sewing a 3" by 5" escape panel in the upper half of the pot closed with cord, or (3) attaching the pot lid or one pot side (serving as a pot lid) with no more that three single loops of cord. Cord used must be untreated 100% cotton or other natural fiber no larger than thread size 120 or 1/8-inch. This cord, when attached as described above, must be able to rot away and allow crab to escape freely if the pot is lost. Light-weight pots prove satisfactory in most areas of Puget Sound, but strong tidal currents and wave action necessitate heavier pots in such places as the ocean and coastal bays. Commercial crab pots for the ocean weigh 75-150 pounds each and are thus not well suited to sport use. Crab pots are generally set in water depths of 20 feet to 150 feet (must be placed below the lowest tide) and located by the line buoy. Sport crabbers must attach red and white marker buoys. These must be permanently and legibly marked with the operator's first name, last name, and permanent address (telephone number is voluntary). Only one name and address may appear on a buoy. Buoy lines must be weighted sufficiently to prevent them from floating on the surface. Buoys must be visible on the surface at all times except during extreme tidal conditions. Crab pots may not be tended from a vessel at night (one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise). Sport crab pot fishing in Puget Sound waters occurs primarily from Birch Bay south to Everett, in Dungeness Bay, and in Hood Canal. Sport pots are generally baited with herring, rockfish carcasses, salmon heads, or clams. Efforts have been made to develop and test artificial baits, but they have so far not found extensive use.

Ring nets - The crab ring net is basically a basket made from two iron hoops and cotton or nylon mesh. The upper iron ring is the larger in diameter. When lowered to the bottom, both rings lie flat to permit the crab's quick access to the bait which is tied to the bottom meshes. When the ring net is subsequently hauled rapidly to the surface, it is in the form of a basket in which the crabs are momentarily trapped. These nets are tended frequently - perhaps every 15-30 minutes. In earlier days of the crab fishery, ring nets were an important commercial type of gear. They seem to be gaining increased favor by sport crabbers. In addition to boating use, such gear is efficient from numerous docks, piers, and jetties throughout saltwater areas of the state.

Long-handled dip nets from boats - When calm weather corresponds with low tides, this can be a productive method in some areas of the state. It involves slowly cruising over sand flats and eelgrass beds where crabs are found and dipping them with a wire and frame scoop attached to a long pole. This can involve a very sporty chase, and is a method used in such areas as Lummi Bay, Padilla Bay, Camano and Whidbey Islands, and Port Susan. Perhaps the most popular sport for this type of crabbing is in Port Gardner off the Everett jetty where up to 200 crabbers have been counted in boats during a single low tide late in May.

Wading with short-handled dip nets - This method involves wading through lagoons or in shallow water at low tide and searching for legal-size crabs. The best success in Puget Sound areas is found in eelgrass beds. For this method, the wader generally tows a small tub or gunny sack to hold his catch so that both hands will be free to use the dip net. This is a method frequently employed in parts of Puget Sound and along the ocean beaches. Perhaps best known for this method are the Dungeness and Birch Bay areas.

Hook and line - This is not a common method for taking Dungeness crabs. However, crabs are occasionally taken incidental to the fish species sought by fishermen along beaches and jetties when they take the offered bait and become hooked or tangled in the line. A variation of this method is to bait and weight a "bird's nest" of monofilament line and to cast this tangle with rod and reel.

Crabs are cooked for table use by boiling them in salted water. Use about 1/4 cup of salt per gallon of fresh water and bring to a boil. Introduce the whole crab and again bring the water to boiling. Boil for about 20 minutes.

Many people prefer to clean their crabs before cooking. This involves prying off the back, breaking the crab in two in order to shake out the viscera, then pulling off the gill filaments. The resulting sections require less water for boiling and result in a cleaner table product. These sections should be boiled about 12 minutes in water somewhat less salty than used for whole crabs. If handling live crabs proves to be a problem in removing the back, the crab can be killed quickly by a blow to the abdomen. Although most crabs are either alive or have been killed just prior to cooking, they certainly are safe to use if you know they are fresh, i.e., dead for only a few hours.

Several species of tiny shore crabs can be found on Washington beaches. Contrary to what many believe, these are not the young of larger ocean crabs, but are simply small sized species. Under most rocks on Puget Sound shores you can find tiny black or gray hairy shore crabs ranging in size from smaller than a fingertip to about the size of a half-dollar. These are of two species, Hemigrapsus nudus and H. oregonensis. Children find it especially fun to watch these crabs crawl and feed in tide pools. Another popular denizen of rocky shores is the hermit crab, characterized by its tendency to use the empty shells of other intertidal creatures as its home.