The state likely will arrest and charge three Snohomish County residents soon for illegal commercial crabbing, hauls worth about $66,000, in Possession Sound off Everett, a state official said Monday.
“They certainly knew better. There’s no accident here,” Sgt. Russ Mullins of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife said of a married couple from Bothell and a man from Everett.
The three licensed commercial crabbers reportedly have caught about 30,000 pounds of crab during closed seasons in the last few years and sold them illegally in Seattle, Mullins alleged. Both acts are felonies under state law because they exceed $250 in value.
The Bothell man is a repeat offender with a record of 11 commercial and recreational crabbing violations, Mullins said.
Following tips from residents, state officials in June seized two fishing vessels used by the suspects when they docked at the Port of Everett, Mullins said.
The vessels had parts of crabs, such as legs, on board, indicating the act of poaching, he added. Poachers often hide crab in the water, later returning to the cache and shipping the crab at night to illegal markets, he added.
The three suspects, ages 45 to 50, will be charged within two weeks in Snohomish County District Court, Mullins said.
The investigation may find more suspects, but “we’ve got the main players,” he said.
The area of Possession Sound between Hat Island and Everett, known as the most productive crabbing area in the county, has drawn many poachers, Mullins said. But they are hard to catch because they use sophisticated techniques to avoid detection, he added.
Last year, Fish and Wildlife had to shorten the commercial season by a month because of excessive poaching in the area, said Steve Burton, the department’s biologist.
But the harvesting season, which started in October and ended in February, still exceeded the annual allocation of crab set by the state by approximately 10,000 pounds, Burton said.
It’s not clear whether illegal commercial crabbing would shorten or damage this year’s harvesting season, Burton said.
Meanwhile, commercial poaching won’t affect recreational crabbing, Burton said.
Recreational crabbing is a popular activity at the Port of Everett, executive director John Mohr said, adding he is glad the state plans to charge the three suspects.
“If they’re guilty, I hope they’ll get an appropriate punishment,” Mohr said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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