Crabbing rule

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Iqjumpuw
Avid Diver
Posts: 82
Joined: Thu Oct 24, 2013 9:15 pm

Crabbing rule

Post by Iqjumpuw »

Hey guys

I heard some people say you are not supposed to go crabbing at night and I was wondering if that was true. I tried looking it up WA department of fish & wildlife but I couldn't find the answer. I checked out their FAQ page too but it just says crabbing is allowed thursdays through mondays each week.

With so many divers these days, I can never catch my limit. By the time I find a right sized one, they are mostly soft shell. I usually take home about 2-3. I was thinking there will be less competition after sunset but I don't want to do that if it's against the rule.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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CaptnJack
I've Got Gills
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Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2006 2:29 pm

Re: Crabbing rule

Post by CaptnJack »

It is legal to hand harvest crab after dark. You could start at 12:01am on an open day and stop at 11:59pm if you wanted to.

It is not legal to set or pull crab pots between 1 hour after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise. The pots can stay in the water overnight but you can't touch them. The night must be a night between 2 open days, pots must be removed on closed days so in Area 10 you would need to have the pot out of the water by 1 hour after sunset on Monday.

Page 133 of the current 2014 rules is pretty clear to me.
Last edited by CaptnJack on Mon Jul 21, 2014 8:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Iqjumpuw
Avid Diver
Posts: 82
Joined: Thu Oct 24, 2013 9:15 pm

Re: Crabbing rule

Post by Iqjumpuw »

Thanks!

I just realized, however, that most local and state parks close at dusk anyway. Mukilteo closes at 10pm.
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