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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 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. Since January 2007, Dungeness crab CRCs have only been required and issued to Puget Sound crab fishers. Dungeness crab CRCs are separated from all other species and crab fishers will be issued one or 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 record cards are issued when a Puget Sound crab endorsement is obtained from any license vendor. The catch from summer catch record cards must be reported by September 21st, 2009 and the catch from winter catch record cards must be reported by January 15th, 2010. CRCs must be reported online (click here) or returned to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Cards should be reported online or returned whether or not the cardholder caught or fished for crab during the season. Completed catch record cards can be returned to WDFW by mailing it to the address printed on the card or dropping it off at one of WDFW's six regional offices. Beginning with 2009 winter harvest, failure to report crab catch by returning your CRC card or by reporting the catch online will result in a $10 penalty on your next license purchase. 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. 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 reported online, 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). See WAC 220-56-175     Please check Fishing Regulation page for regulation changes or Shellfish Hotline 1-866-880-5431 (360-796-3215 locally)

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