I have been crabbing in Puget Sound waters, specifically Area 8-1 and 8-2 for the last 9 years. The area I crab each sport crabbing season has produced fantastic results every time out and is located across from Camano Island State Park. Crab in this area has always been plentiful and a top producer of large numbers of 7+ inch male Dungeness crab. Typically two pots are full of large males in under 2 hours and nearly every time out we throw back 3 or 4 limits of big males after taking our 5 each with two on board. It’s truly been amazing crabbing every year until this year.

I have been out twice since the opener on July 1, 2006 in the area described vaguely above, and the males are far and very few between in our pots which now are filed with females. Thanks to the commercial and tribal crab fishermen who take all but a few males from the Puget Sound seafloor leaving the communities in WA State with nothing! In addition, thanks to the folks who make the commercial and tribal crabbing possible, resulting in nearly no crab for those who have enjoyed crab season for decades. I refuse to pay 20 bucks for a two day old crab still in the shell at Haggen or Safeway or at the local seafood shop in Everett for that matter. The taste and texture just doesn’t come close to the taste of fresh cooked in Puget Sound salt water Dungeness crab. Please consider contacting the WDFW and law makers in Olympia to express our disgust to those who have allowed this treasured fishery to be commercially and tribally over fished.

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