RECREATIONAL CRAB HOME MOST IMPORTANT Statewide Gear Rules - Crab, Shrimp and Crawfish HTML | PDF Crab Identification and Biology Puget Sound Sport Crab Fishing Licenses and Harvest Guidelines Harvest Techniques for Crab Processing your catch Crab - Frequently Asked Questions   Related Links - Crabs and Crabbing Latest News Releases Boat Launches - Locations and Information Sport Crab - Historic Catch Information Sport Crab - Puget Sound Recreational Crabbing Quiz Sport Crab Photo Gallery Other Sources of Information Crab Fishing Management Video Identifying Softshell Crab Dungeness Crab Catch Record Card Sport Shrimp Seasons Rules for Unclassified Marine Invertebrates and Subtidal Species other than Dungeness Crab, Rock Crab and Shrimp ANS - Aquatic Nuisance Species: Invasive Species Fact Sheets Crab Tagging Project Invasive Green Crab Invasive Chinese Mitten Crab     Files formatted in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print. You can download the free reader directly from Adobe. Windows versions are approximately 4MB in size.

Puget Sound Dungeness Crab CATCH RECORD CARDS [ INTRODUCTION ]      [ INSTRUCTIONS AND EXAMPLES ] REMEMBER... Everyone fishing for crab in Puget Sound (even persons under the age of 15 who don't need a fishing license) needs to carry and maintain a catch record card. Your catch record card needs to be dropped off at a nearby WDFW regional office or mailed to the WDFW address on the card by the date listed on the card (or when you've finished crabbing for the year). (WAC 220-56-175) INTRODUCTION Every Dungeness crab fisher plays a vital role in ensuring that sustainable fishing opportunities continue into the future. In addition to knowing and following the fishing rules, one of the most important responsibilities crabbers have as stewards of the resource is to comply with catch record card (CRC) requirements. Fishery managers rely on catch information provided by fishers to manage the Puget Sound Dungeness crab fishery and plan future seasons. Just as fishery managers rely on fish tickets to track commercial harvest, they depend on CRCs to estimate recreational crab catch. CRCs are also used to account for recreational harvest of other fish species such as steelhead, salmon, sturgeon, and halibut. Dungeness crab was added to the list of fisheries requiring a catch record card in 2000 at the direction of the state Legislature, in an effort to improve harvest estimates. Prior to 2000, Dungeness crab harvest estimates relied on field-based surveys and voluntary returns of logbooks. State law requires all recreational Dungeness crab fishers in Puget Sound to have a Dungeness crab endorsement and a current CRC. Youth anglers under the age of 15 are not required to purchase a fishing license, however, they are required to have a Puget Sound crab endorsement and maintain a CRC. Youth anglers are issued crab endorsements and CRCs at no charge. When properly maintained, these CRCs provide an up-to-date and ongoing account of each crabber's catch throughout a crabbing season. Sport fishers who fail to carry and maintain a CRC are subject to a citation, which carries a fine of $80. Beginning in January 2007, Dungeness crab CRCs will only be required and issued to Puget Sound crab fishers. Dungeness crab CRCs will be separated from all other species and crab fishers will be issued two CRCs when they purchase a Puget Sound crab endorsement with a fishing license. One CRC will be valid for the summer fishing season June through Labor Day. The second CRC will be valid for a fall/winter fishing season, defined as the day after Labor Day through January 2. Dungeness crab catch cards are issued when a Puget Sound crab endorsement is obtained from any license vendor. By September 15th, following the summer fishery, and January 15th, following the winter fishery, CRCs must be returned to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Cards should be returned whether or not the cardholder caught or fished for crab during the season. Completed catch record cards can be returned to WDFW by mail to the address printed on the card or dropped off at one of WDFW's six regional offices. While WDFW is exploring ways to improve the recreational crab catch-accounting system, the total recreational catch in recent years has come very close to the total recreational share for Puget Sound. Fishery managers credit CRCs - and the recreational crabbers who maintain them - with helping to reach that level of accuracy.   Click here for sport shrimp seasons and rules Click here for sport crab seasons   Please check Fishing Regulation page for regulation changes or Shellfish Hotline 1-866-880-5431 (360-796-3215 locally).