October 1 brings a new recreational crabbing season to several parts of Puget Sound. Tacoma is sitting it out. Marine Area 11, which covers Tacoma and Vashon Island, remains closed, so local crabbers cannot put out their pots even though the fall season has opened elsewhere.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says too little of the area’s catch quota may remain after the summer season to authorize more crabbing now. Seattle and Bremerton’s Marine Area 10 is in the same position. This is a decision about the remaining quota, not an announcement that Tacoma’s crabs have disappeared.
There is still a possibility of a later opening. Fishery managers plan to review summer catch reports after the October 1 reporting deadline and decide whether enough quota remains. They have not announced when that review will be finished or promised that Tacoma will reopen.
The boundary matters if you are planning an outing: an open season elsewhere in Puget Sound does not make the water off Tacoma open. Waters south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge are in Marine Area 13, which remains closed for the winter season. Check the current rules for the exact area before setting any gear. Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
There’s also a deadline today for anyone who crabbed in Puget Sound this summer: catch reports are due even if you kept no Dungeness crab. The News Tribune’s report has more on the fall openings—and the unresolved question Tacoma crabbers are waiting on.
Discover more of Tacoma in today’s Tacoma Local Minute. Catch the rest of today’s local news, events, and updates in the full issue here.