Most areas of Puget Sound close to recreational crabbing at sunset on Labor Day, meaning the upcoming holiday weekend is the last chance to soak your traps until the winter season is announced in October.
The only crabbing open after Labor Day will be Marine Areas 7-North and 7-South in the San Juan Islands, Thursdays through Mondays through Sept. 28. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are closed and all crab gear must be out of the water.
Summer catch reports are due by midnight Oct. 1, whether or not you caught crab this year. Cards can be submitted by mail to WDFW, CRC Unit, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, Wash., 98501, or online at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/wdfw/puget_sound_crab_catch.html from Sept. 8 through Oct. 1.
Any recreational crabbers fishing after Sept. 7 must record crab on winter catch record cards, available free to those with crab endorsements at license vendors statewide. Those who fail to file their catch reports on time face a $10 fine when they purchase a 2016 Puget Sound crab endorsement.
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