06/24/2026
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Summer crab fishing seasons will get underway July 2 in several Puget Sound marine areas! Other marine areas will open later in July or in mid-August.
“Crabbers will find that the 2026 summer seasons are similar to those in 2025,” said Don Velasquez, a WDFW crustacean biologist.
"Crabbing should continue to be strong in northern marine areas such as Admiralty Inlet, Deception Pass, Port Susan, and around the San Juan Islands,” said Velasquez. “However increasing effort and lower Dungeness crab abundance observed during recent surveys by WDFW and tribal biologists require us to limit crabbing to two days per week in marine areas around Seattle and Tacoma in central and south-central Puget Sound.”
Refer to our news release to learn more: wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/news-release/recreational-crabbing-open-july-2-many-puget-sound-marine-areas
Summer seasons for the upcoming fishery, as well as area maps and other resources, are also posted on WDFW's recreational crab seasons and areas webpage.
All crabbers in the Puget Sound Management Area regardless of age must possess a Puget Sound Crab Endorsement and paper or electronic catch record card (CRC/eCRC).
Puget Sound crabbers are required to record their harvest of Dungeness crab on their CRC/eCRC immediately after retaining the crab and before re-deploying crabbing gear. A separate CRC/eCRC is issued for the summer and winter seasons. Anglers who crab in Marine Area 7 North and South after Labor Day will need a winter CRC/eCRC.
WDFW will have catch samplers (also known as creel checkers) at many boat launches and water access sites this summer to gather additional information from recreational crabbers. Catch samplers typically measure Dungeness crabs and obtain a total weight of the crabs retained to monitor the health of the population. The information these staff collect is important for crab fishery management.
WDFW asks all crabbers and fishers to respect catch sampling staff and understand that in some locations boats may be checked for both Dungeness crab and for salmon or other finfish.
Photo by Nicholas Jones of a happy family of crabbers on central Puget Sound with their catch of Dungeness during a previous summer season.