05 / Seasons · Dungeness crab
Seattle Crab Season
Seattle crabs in Marine Area 10, where the 2026 summer season ran two days a week and the winter season is decided in September. Here is what is open, what you can keep, and the gear and paperwork rules that catch people out.
Planning information, checked against WDFW on September 4, 2026. Crab seasons change with days of notice through emergency rules. Confirm the current rules at wdfw.wa.gov or in the Fish Washington app before you drop a pot.
Summer 2026
Closes Sept 7
Marine Area 10 was open July 5 to Sept 7, Sundays and Mondays only. Summer catch record cards must be reported online between the day after Labor Day and Oct 1, even if you caught nothing; missing it costs $10 with next year's license.
Winter 2026
Not yet announced
As of September 4, 2026, WDFW had not announced a winter season. It typically does so in September, using the summer catch record card data to decide which areas open and for how long. Last year it announced on Sept 24 and opened Marine Areas 9 and 10, among others, Oct 1 to Dec 31, seven days a week. This page and the calendar feed will be updated when the 2026 announcement lands.
2026 summer seasons by area
The two-day weeks in central Puget Sound reflect increasing effort and lower Dungeness abundance in recent WDFW surveys. All crab gear has to be out of the water by one hour after sunset on the last day of any open period, and may not sit in the water on closed days.
| Area | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Areas 4, 5, 6, 8-1, 8-2 and 9 (Neah Bay to Admiralty Inlet, Whidbey, Everett) | July 2 – Sept 7 | Thursday through Monday |
| Marine Area 10 (Seattle / Bremerton) | July 5 – Sept 7 | Sundays and Mondays only |
| Marine Area 11 (Tacoma / Vashon) | July 5 – Aug 17 | Sundays and Mondays only |
| Marine Area 12 south of Ayock Point, and Marine Area 13 (South Sound) | Closed | Dungeness recovery |
Limits, gear and paperwork
| Species | Daily limit and size |
|---|---|
| Dungeness crab | 5 per day, males only, hard-shell, 6¼" minimum carapace width |
| Red rock crab | 6 per day, either sex, hard-shell, 5" minimum |
| Tanner crab | 6 per day, either sex, 4½" minimum |
Gear.Two units of crab gear per person in Puget Sound (a pot, ring net or star trap each). Every buoy must be half red and half white, with both colors visible, and carry your first name, last name and permanent address. Pots need two escape rings of at least 4¼" inside diameter in the upper half, or a 3" by 5" escape panel, and a biodegradable "rot" cord of untreated cotton, hemp, jute or sisal no heavier than thread size 120, so a lost pot stops fishing. You can also crab by hand or with a dip net.
License and endorsement. Everyone 16 and older needs a Washington fishing license with shellfish. In Puget Sound every crabber, regardless of age, also needs the Puget Sound Dungeness crab endorsement and a Puget Sound Dungeness crab catch record card, and every Dungeness kept goes on the card immediately.
Reporting. Summer cards are reported online from the day after Labor Day through Oct 1. Winter cards, if a winter season opens, are reported Jan 1 through Feb 1. The report is required even with zero crab, and the penalty for skipping it is $10.
Handling. Keep the back shell on until you are home so a warden can measure it. Soft-shell crab, female Dungeness and anything undersized go straight back in the water.
Crabbing from a charter
Several Puget Sound charters run crab pots as an add-on to a salmon trip or as a dedicated crabbing trip in season. Each link goes to the operator's own site; we take no bookings and no commission.
- Twin J Charters
Downtown Seattle
Salmon, Lingcod, Crab, Halibut, Flounder, Shrimp
- Ruby D Charters
Port of Edmonds Marina, Q dock (also Shilshole/Kingston pickup)
King (Chinook), Silver (Coho), Pink salmon, Flounder, Lingcod, Dungeness crab
- Sasquatch Sport Fishing
Edmonds, WA
King & Coho salmon, Dungeness crab
- All Star Fishing Charters
Seattle, Edmonds & Everett
Salmon (King/Chum), Lingcod, Flounder, Crab (seasonal add-on)
- Fish Finders Private Charters
Shilshole Bay Marina, Ballard (7001 Seaview Ave NW)
Salmon (incl. winter blackmouth), Lingcod, Flounder, Dungeness crab
Buying, not catching
Dungeness at the counter
What the fish counters carry follows the commercial fishery and shipments from the coast, Oregon and Alaska, not the recreational season above, so live and cooked Dungeness show up in Seattle outside the sport windows. These listings name Dungeness specifically; check the shop for today's availability.
Markets
- Wild Salmon Seafood Market · Fishermen's Terminal, Interbay
- Taylor Shellfish Farms (Melrose Market counter) · Capitol Hill
- Seattle Seafood Center · Georgetown
- Lucky Seafood · Beacon Hill
- Gemini Fish Market · Issaquah (Eastside)
Restaurants
- Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bars · Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square & Lower Queen Anne
- Local Tide · Fremont
- RockCreek Seafood & Spirits · Fremont (also Kirkland)
Get the dates in your calendar
The crab openers, closures and card deadlines are in our subscribable Washington seasons calendar, which updates when WDFW announces the winter season.
Sources
- WDFW: Puget Sound recreational crab (seasons, endorsement, catch record cards)
- WDFW: Marine Area 10 crab seasons and limits
- WDFW: statewide shellfish gear rules
- WDFW news release, June 16, 2026: recreational crabbing to open July 2
- WDFW news release, Sept 24, 2025: winter crabbing opens Oct 1 (last year's precedent)
Checked September 4, 2026. Found something wrong? Tell us.