Summer crab season kicks off in parts of Washington, Puget Sound
Jul 1, 2021, 1:13 PM | Updated: 1:31 pm
Freshly caught crab is seen in a bin after being unloaded from a boat in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Get your crab crackers, plastic bib, and butter ready because the summer crab season begins on Thursday.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Puget Sound summer crab-fishing season, which will get underway July 1 in most marine areas. Find a list of crab season openings here.
Note that Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal) and Marine Area 13 (South Puget Sound) are closed this season to allow weak Dungeness crab populations to increase.
Residents and non-residents need to get a license, and you should know where you can and can’t go. In the Puget Sound, you’ll need a catch record card for Dungeness crabs. Those cards are not required for Dungeness crab in the Columbia River or on the Washington coast, where crabbing is open year-round. There’s a daily limit of five Dungeness crabs a day per person, and six red rock crab in open areas.
A warning from Washington State Ferries: Watch your crab pots
Learn more about crab seasons and areas, and about the types of crab you can catch and keep in Washington waters online here.
