South Sound sport crab season starts on June 18

• Published June 09, 2008

Got your pots ready for a summer-long crabfest? Well, you've got until June 18 to get your gear together.

Crabbing in Marine Area 13 -- Puget Sound south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridges -- opens seven days a week on June 18. The Crab-O-Rama that is also known as Hood Canal will open July 2 on a Wednesday through Saturday schedule.

Don't forget to record your catch on the summer catch card. You'll use your fall catch card -- you guessed it -- during the fall/winter season.

Biologists use the catch cards to keep tabs on crab populations.

Crabbers can mail their catch record card to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife or file their information on www.fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov between Sept. 2 and 15.

Crabbers filing on time are entered in a raffle to win a free 2009 saltwater/freshwater combination license.

The daily limit in Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, males only, in hard-shell condition with a minimum carapace width of 6¼ inches. Crabbers may bag six red rock crab of either sex per day, but these crab must be at least 5 inches across.

For more information, check out the Fishing in Washington pamphlet at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm.

Happy crabbing!

Chester Allen