Puget Sound crab season kicks off July 3, giving area crabbers a chance to catch the coveted Dungeness crab.

“Recreational crabbing is a popular summer activity that most family members can participate in,” said Don Velasquez, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife crustacean biologist. “Crabbers will find that the 2025 summer seasons are very similar to those in 2024. The areas with closures and limited seasons from last year remain in place for 2025.”

For the greater Port Townsend area, that means the season runs from July 3 to Sept. 1, with crabbing allowed Thursdays through Mondays only.

Each person 15 years and older needs a shellfish license and everyone needs a Puget Sound Crab Endorsement. You can buy the shellfish license on its own, but it is also part of several package and temporary licenses. The endorsement will get you a catch record card which is required. Puget Sound crabbers are required to record their harvest of Dungeness crab on their catch record cards (CRC) immediately after retaining the crab and before re-deploying the trap.

The daily limit throughout Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, males only, in hard-shell condition with a minimum width of 6 1/4 inches. Fishers may also keep six red rock crab of either sex per day in open areas, provided the crab are in hard-shell condition and measure at least five inches wide.

Recreational crabbers may not set or pull shellfish gear from a vessel from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise. Each unattended trap must have its own buoy line and a separate buoy that is permanently and legibly marked with the first name, last name, and permanent address of the licensed harvester. All traps must be removed from the water on days when the fishery is closed. Make sure crab pots are properly weighted down to avoid traps from moving and becoming lost. Crabbers can find guidelines on how to properly set crab traps on the WDFW’s crabbing webpage.

A proposed rule prohibiting deploying crab and shrimp fishing gear at Washington state ferry terminal closure zones is expected to be announced soon. When implemented, the rule would prohibit commercial or recreational crabbing, shrimping, and fishing with purse seine or gill nets near 19 Department of Transportation-managed ferry terminals in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.

The closure would prohibit using these types of fishing gear within 400 yards from the end of the ferry terminal dock and 100 yards on each side. The rule would not apply to trolling or other methods of recreational salmon, lingcod and finfish fishing.

Before heading out on the water this season, crabbers can test their skills at identifying different types of crab in Puget Sound and their understanding of regulations and best practices by taking the Puget Sound crabber knowledge quiz on the WDFW web site.