WA crabbing season: What to know and what not to do this summer

Summer crabbing season started Thursday. But while the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says it should be a similar season to last year's, there are a few things that have already made this season unique.

From locational harvesting times and poisoned shellfish to tagged crabs and smuggled crustaceans, here are some key things crab and shellfish seekers should know.

When and where has summer crab season begun?

While summer crab season starts July 2, some areas will open later in July or mid-August, WDFW said.

Crabbing is allowed July 2 to Sept. 7, Thursdays through Mondays, in Marine Areas 4 in Neah Bay, 5 at Sekiu and Pillar Point, 6 from Crescent Bay to Port Townsend, 8-1 at Deception Pass, 8-2 in Everett and 9 at Admiralty Inlet.

Marine Area 7 South between the San Juan Islands and Bellingham is open July 16 to Sept. 28, Thursdays through Mondays, while Area 7 North at Gulf of Georgia typically opens in mid-August.

Marine Area 10 between Seattle and Bremerton is open July 5 through Sept. 7 on Sundays and Mondays and Area 11 between Tacoma and Vashon Island from July 5 to Aug. 17 on Sundays and Mondays.

Marine Area 12 is open July 2 to Sept. 7 on Thursdays and Mondays at Hood Canal north of Ayock Point, but south of that point, the area is closed along with Marine Area 13 in South Puget Sound.

Beware poisoned shellfish in closed harvesting zones

Speaking of Marine Area 12, Hood Canal remains closed for shellfish farming because lethal levels of paralytic shellfish poison were found in shellfish in that area, WDFW said in a news release Thursday.

Paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP, can cause tingling or numbness of the lips, tongue, hands and feet. Severe cases can cause difficulty breathing, paralysis and death, with symptoms developing just hours after eating a contaminated shellfish.

PSP is a naturally occurring marine toxin that you can't detect with sight, smell or taste and can't be neutralized by cooking, freezing or cleaning the shellfish, WDFW said.

The warning applies to clams, oysters, mussels, scallops and other molluscan shellfish species, but not crab or shrimp, the WDFW said. That's in the northern open area of Marine Area 12, of course.

To be more specific, the areas closed for shellfish poisoning are recreational areas from Foulweather Bluff and Port Ludlow Bay south, including Port Gamble Bay, Quilcene Bay, Dabob Bay, Mats Mats Bay, Port Townsend, Oak Bay and Marrowstone Island. There are warning signs posted at public beaches.

Watch out for tagged crabs

WDFW is asking anglers to keep an eye out for any tagged crabs that they catch.

The WDFW and local tribes are conducting a study beginning in July tracking crab movement in Marine Areas 9, 10 and 12, which could help provide insight about crab abundance, set annual catch quotas and manage crab fishing seasons, the department said in a news release.

The tagged crabs will have 2-inch-long, thin, green, wirelike devices known as floy tags, with their own individual ID number and a phone contact on their back side above the hind legs.

Crabbers are asked to call that phone number and leave a voicemail or text message. They'll get a web page link where they can input the tag ID, approximate coordinates for the location the crab was caught, its shell condition and the date, WDFW said. Or they can leave those details in a voice message.

WDFW and local tribes have tagged nearly 900 crabs since September 2025.

This should go without saying … don't smuggle crabs in your clothes

You don't want to get caught making less than legal and less than practical moves like a foursome of crustacean smugglers whom WDFW police caught stuffing 21 Dungeness crabs into their clothing.

After a WDFW officer saw a man place a crab into a woman's hood on the Tokeland tidelands in Pacific County and cover it with a sun hat, he asked the foursome to surrender any crabs they had for inspection, seeing crab legs poking out from the woman's hat and drooping bulges in their clothing.

Two women pulled crabs from custom pouches sewn into their clothes, one and two at a time, until they'd handed the officer 21 crabs, of which 19 were undersized, one being female. They were cited, and their custom bandoleers and one puffer jacket were seized as evidence.

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This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 6:41 AM.