OLYMPIA — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Puget Sound summer crab seasons that will begin July 3 in many marine areas.
“Crabbers will find that the 2025 summer seasons are very similar to those in 2024,” said Don Velasquez, WDFW crustacean biologist. “The areas with closures and limited seasons from last year remain in place for 2025.”
This summer’s crab seasons in the North Olympic Peninsula:
Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), Marine Area 5 (Sekiu and Pillar Point), Marine Area 6 (East Juan de Fuca Strait, Port Angeles, Discovery Bay) and Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) are open July 3 through Sept. 1 with crabbing allowed Thursdays through Mondays only.
Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal) north of a line projected true east from Ayock Point is open July 3 through Sept. 1 with crabbing allowed Thursdays through Mondays only. Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal) south of a line projected true east from Ayock Point is closed until further notice.
Summer seasons for the upcoming fishery are also posted on WDFW’s crab fishing webpage at www.wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishing-regulations/crab.
The WDFW will have staff members at many boat launch and access sites this summer to gather information from recreational crabbers. The information these staff collect is important for management of the crab fishery.
The daily limit throughout Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, males only, in hard-shell condition with a minimum carapace width of 6¼ inches. Crabbers may also keep six red rock crab of either sex per day in open areas, provided the crab are in hard-shell condition and measure at least five inches carapace width.
Recreational crabbers may not set or pull shellfish gear from a vessel from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise. Each unattended trap must have its own buoy line and a separate buoy that is permanently and legibly marked with the first name, last name and permanent address of the licensed harvester. All traps must be removed from the water on days when the fishery is closed. People must make sure crab pots are properly weighted down to avoid traps from moving and becoming lost.
Puget Sound crabbers are required to record their harvest of Dungeness crab on their catch record cards immediately after retaining the crab and before re-deploying the trap.
CRC information is crucial to managing Dungeness crab in Puget Sound. Completed summer CRCs, regardless of whether any crab are kept, must be submitted or reported online to WDFW by Oct. 1, 2025.
A CRC is not required to fish for Dungeness crab in the Columbia River or on the Washington coast, where crabbing is open year-round.
Licenses can be purchased from WDFW’s licensing website and from hundreds of license vendors around the state.
