For Snohomish and Island county residents who crab in Puget Sound, a missed catch report currently carries a $10 penalty. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is considering raising that amount and is inviting crabbers to weigh in at an online meeting Wednesday, Nov. 18.
The meeting runs from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Pacific on Zoom. Register in advance; WDFW says participants will receive an email with the joining link. The discussion will include opportunities for public comment.
No new fee has been set
WDFW's rule-development page identifies the change as a preproposal. It seeks an increase, but does not name a new dollar amount or an effective date. The agency has not yet filed the next formal rule proposal.
Under the current rule, WAC 220-310-020(6), the non-reporting fee remains $10 and is collected when a crabber obtains a subsequent Puget Sound Dungeness crab endorsement.
WDFW puts the summer crab catch-record-card reporting rate at 43% for 2024 and 2025. The agency uses those reports to estimate recreational harvest and plan seasons. Missing reports make it harder to distinguish a season with no retained crab from an unreported catch.
How to share your comments
Crabbers can use the online comment page, email 2026crabpenaltycr101@publicinput.com, or call 855-925-2801 and enter project code 11263. WDFW's project page lists the comment closing date as still to be determined.
Keep reporting under the current system
Paper catch record cards and the mobile reporting option remain available. Paper-card holders must report even if they kept no crab. Recorded catches in the mobile app are reported automatically. Under the current rule, app users who retain no crab must record no harvest by the end of the season. WDFW explains each option in its catch record card guide.
For the current winter season, paper-card catch reports are due Feb. 1, 2027.
Sources: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Nov. 4 announcement, rule-development page and catch-reporting guidance; Washington Administrative Code. Checked Nov. 4, 2026.
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