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Recreational Crabber Education

Education & Outreach

Keep Your Crab Pot, Eat More Crabs

12,000 crab pots are lost each year in Puget Sound. A single lost crab pot can kill up to 50 crabs before it deteriorates. That adds up to 180,000 harvestable crabs lost each year. The Snohomish County MRC participates in the Salish Sea Alliance's Campaign to "Catch More Crab!" To avoid lost crab pots, follow the tips and access the resources below to keep your pot and catch more crab.

  • AVOID MARINE TRANSIT AND FERRY LANES.
  • CHECK TIES AND CURRENTS. Avoid crabbing during strong tidal changes and currents.
  • USE HIGH VISIBILITY BUOYS to clearly mark your gear.
  • USE A WEIGHTED LINE to sink below the surface and avoid being cut by passing boats.
  • WEIGHT YOUR POTS so they do not move in strong currents or tidal changes.
  • USE LONGER LINE. Use 1/3 more line than water depth to allow for changes in tides and currents.
  • SECURE LID AND ESCAPE PANELS WITH BIODEGRADABLE COTTON ESCAPE CORD. This allows crabs to escape from lost pots after the cord degrades.
Dungeness crabs in a bucket.

Videos to Help Explain How to Rig and Set Up Your Pot

Check Tides and Currents (Salish Sea Alliance)

A video on how to set your crab pot.

The Recreational Crab Fishery in Puget Sound (WDFW)

Video about the recreational crab fishery in Washington.

Modify Your Crab Pot (Salish Sea Alliance)

Video about how to modify your crab pot.

Crabbing 101 Webinar (Salish Sea Alliance)

A screenshot of the beginning of the Virtual Crabber Workshop
Keep Your Crab Pot, Eat More Crabs - Informational Map (Page 1 of 2)

Project Background

The Snohomish County MRC developed the "Catch More Crabs" campaign, which is now Puget Sound-wide and managed by the Salish Sea Alliance. In 2010 and 2011, the MRC Dungeness Crabber subcommittee produced outreach materials aimed at reducing the number of recreational crab pots lost in Port Susan, Possession Sound and Port Gardner during the 2010 crabbing season. The original principle outreach message was “Keep Your Crab Pot, Eat More Crabs.” 

To convey this message, an informational map was developed. The map features reminders for best management practices and notes potential hazards that can increase the likelihood of pot loss. The maps were distributed to recreational crabbers at boat launches, sporting good stores, and area parks. WSU Beach Watcher volunteers spoke with crabbers about hazards and best practices to avoid losing crab pots. These face-to-face contacts are essential to reducing the number of crab pots lost annually in Puget Sound.  

 

More recently, in 2026, the MRC attended the season opener for crab, reaching around 300 crabbers at the Port of Everett to provide gear like measurement gauges, rot cord, and educational materials.

Learn more about Dungeness Crab traits, lifecycle, habitat, and more with the factsheet.

 

Visit www.derelictgear.org to learn about removal efforts and how to report derelict gear.

Recreational Crabber Education