Crabbin' in Washington.

No, not Dave & I crabbin at each other. But crabbin for crabs, Dungeness and Reds.
I get to drive the boat. Sometimes I drive good, other times not so good. Dave had great luck getting crab while I was in Iowa. However his back hurt pulling a pot up 100+ feet.So he designed and had made a davit. McGuiver strikes again.

Which crabs are keepers and which get thrown back in for another day?

Several species of crab are found in Washington's marine waters and along its shores, though only a few are large enough to be of commercial and sport interest. Crabs are crustaceans, having an exterior skeleton or shell. Two crab species (Dungeness and red rock) are harvested locally. Crabs are most commonly harvested with crab pots but are also caught using ring nets, dip nets, and by wading in shallow water during spring and early summer.

Dungeness Crab

One of the most popular items on Washington seafood menus is the Dungeness crab. This hardshelled crustacean is fished from the Aleutian Islands to Mexico. The shell is purple-tinged, gray or brown on the back and the tips of the claws are typically white. The Dungeness crab can reach ten inches across the back though six to seven inches is more common. In Puget Sound this crab is most abundant north of Seattle, in Hood Canal, and near the Pacific coast. The Dungeness crab is frequently associated with eel grass beds and prefers sandy or muddy substrates.

Commercial

The Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) is found in commercial quantities from the Aleutian Islands, AK to south of San Francisco, CA. This crab got its common name from a small fishing village on the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington where the first commercial fishing was done for this species. The Dungeness crab fishery is said to be the oldest known shellfish fishery on the North Pacific coast of America. It is the only commercially important crab within Washington's territorial waters. The most productive crabbing grounds lie along the coast of Washington from the Columbia River to the vicinity of Destruction Island. Willapa Bay is also an important area in the coastal fishery and Grays Harbor provides fair catches.

Sport

The sport fishery for Dungeness crab is important in Puget Sound and some of the coastal areas. Intensive sport utilization has been observed at Birch Bay, off Neptune Beach just north of Lummi Island, Samish Bay, Padilla Bay near Anacortes, Utsaladdy Bay on Camano Island, Port Susan, Hood Canal and in Dungeness Bay. Several crabbing methods are employed in the sport fishery, depending on local conditions.

How are fisheries managed to protect Dungeness crab?

Dungeness crab, like other state fish resources, is managed to perpetuate the species while providing a sustainable harvest. State and tribal fishery managers use a so-called “3-S strategy” to determine the portion of the Dungeness crab population that can be harvested on a sustainable basis. The 3-S strategy considers:

* Size: Only crab that are 6¼ inches or larger can be harvested, allowing smaller male crab the opportunity to mate at least once before they are taken in the fishery.

* Sex: Only male crab can be harvested, to protect egg-bearing females for propagation.

* Season: The fishery is closed during the peak crab molt cycle, when Dungeness crab shells are soft and handling could kill the animals.