Just how does Washington state go about setting its regulations on recreational crabbing?
Find out the answer to that question and more May 7 as part of a town hall meeting in Friday Harbor in which officials of state Fish and Wildlife officials will be grilled about quotas, allocations and the tools used to determine the ins and outs of the crab fishery. Co-hosted by Puget Sound Anglers and the San Juan County Marine Resources Committee, the meeting begins at 6 p.m. at San Juan Island Fire District headquarters on Mullis Street.
But in case you’re wondering, there’s a few new twists in store in addition to a two-week delay until opening day.
Beginning this season, If you fish for crab and fail to report your catch, you could be on the hook for a $10 fine when it comes time to buy a fishing license for the next.
With annual reporting rates hovering below 33 percent, the Washington State Wildlife Commission recently decided that push had come to shove, and, with approval of the state Legislature, imposed a $10 fine on those that fail to turn in daily-catch cards, as required. That fine must be paid at the time a fishing license is purchased the following year.
Recreational crab season begins July 15 in the San Juans, known as Marine Area 7, and closes Sept. 30, almost a month later than in the past. Crabbing is allowed Wednesdays through Saturdays during the season, and the entire Labor Day weekend as well.
Roughly 218,000 crab endorsements were sold statewide a year ago, at about $3 a pop, but fewer than one-third of those that purchased them turned in a catch-card by the time numbers from the recreational harvest were tallied. An endorsement is an add-on to the price of a fishing license.
For accuracy, Steve Burton of the Department of Fish and Wildlife said that even zeros matter in tallying the recreational harvest. Up to five Dungeness crab can be harvested each day as long as restrictions on size, sex and shell condition are met.
“Even if you don’t go fishing at all we need to know the numbers,” said Burton, a fisheries biologist who has helped manage the state’s crab harvest for more than a decade. “Part of what the state has to do because of federal management issues is that we have to account for the catch.”
And by any measure, it’s quite a catch.
In the 2006-07 season, commercial fisherman and the tribes, together with recreational crabbers, hauled in 7.8 million pounds of Dungeness crab in Puget Sound alone. The overall Puget Sound catch totaled 8.5 million pound three years earlier. On the coast, where crab numbers can fluctuate wildly depending on the year, according to Burton, the commercial catch is even more robust. It yields anywhere between 8 million to 30 million pounds annually depending on the season.
Closer to home, in Marine Area 7, commercial and tribal fisherman haul in about 4.5 million to 4.8 million pounds of Dungeness collectively in a typical season. Their recreational counterparts catch another 360,000-400,000-plus pounds, on average, year-in and year-out.
In any given year, the state and tribes divide the annual harvest estimate right down the middle, a 50-50 split. In Marine Area 7, roughly 82 percent of that state share is set aside for commercial purposes and 12 percent for sport fisherman.
Not everyone is satisfied with the percentages. Andy Holman, a member of Puget Sound Anglers and the MRC, would like the state to set a higher percentage of its share for recreation in Marine Area 7. Regardless of low reporting on catch cards, he believes sport fisherman deserve a higher percentage given the total amount of crab caught in the area.
“I’d like to see a more equitable split in our area,” Holman said. “Obviously we got a good resource up here and there’s a lot of money and a lot of political will and interests that goes along with it. I think the main thing that people don’t understand is how the allocation works.”
With a greater understanding of the system, Holman believes recreational crabbers will be better prepared to champion their cause and bring about change in the political arena. The May 7 meeting could serve as a first step, he said.
“Basically, it’s a political issue,” he said. “To see a bigger share of that split it has to start with the commission. We all have a voice, we all can write letters or pick up the phone and call the commission.”
