Recreational crab season delayed in Point Roberts, Blaine, Birch Bay

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has delayed the recreational crab season in Point Roberts, Blaine, Birch Bay and other areas of north Whatcom County because many crab shells haven’t hardened. An opening date has not yet been set.

WDFW announced the delay of crabbing season beginning in Marine Area 7 North, which runs from Lummi Island to Point Roberts, in an August 15 press release. The season was set to begin Thursday, August 17 and run through September 30 on Mondays and Thursdays.

WDFW plans to open recreational crabbing once more crab have had time for their shells to harden after molting, which is when they lose and regrow their exoskeletons. The department runs test fisheries to ensure at least 80 percent of crab caught have hard shells, as is required before state and tribal fisheries can open. 

Soft-shell crabs are often discarded because they don’t have as much meat, according to previous reporting from The Northern Light. They are prone to higher mortality rates if handled. 

Several factors impact shell hardness including water temperature, available food and the number of crab in an area. 

“There’s more soft-shell crab in the area than we typically see late in the summer, but this delay should reduce potential impacts to vulnerable crab,” said Aaron Dufault, WDFW’s Puget Sound shellfish manager in a statement. 

The closing date will be extended to offset the delay, according to WDFW. The opening of commercial crabbing season will also be later.

Recreational crabbing was also delayed in Blaine and Birch Bay in 2020. At the time, a WDFW employee told The Northern Light that delayed openings were very rare.