Why does commercial crabbing take place after the recreational fishery has closed?
While most recreational crab fisheries open between mid-June and July 1, the non-tribal commercial crab fishery in Puget Sound doesn’t begin until Oct. 1. Crab abundance is lower during the commercial fishery, following crabbing by recreational and tribal fisheries in summer. Because catch rates may be lower during the commercial fishery, it can take longer for commercial fishers to take their share of the harvest. Weather also often limits commercial fishing during fall and winter months, slowing the catch rate and thus extending the duration of the fishery. In a similar fashion, tribal crabbers generally take more time to harvest their equal quota of Dungeness crab. Because each tribe’s fishery is restricted to its own treaty area, there are typically fewer tribal fishers than non-tribal fishers in any one area.