part of the news release...
there's more but it's blah blah blah
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Temporary catch record cards going out
to some Puget Sound crab fishers
OLYMPIA - Puget Sound sport crabbers will head out to fish this summer under a new split-season harvest-reporting system, although some may want to stop off to swap a temporary catch record card for a permanent one.
The split-season harvest-reporting system requires recreational crabbers to use a summer catch record card to record their catch through Labor Day, and a separate catch record card for fall and winter harvest that will be reported by mid-January 2008.
However, delays in gearing up the state’s automated recreational license system to print the two cards means that early purchasers of Puget Sound crab endorsements didn’t receive their catch record cards.
With crab seasons opening just weeks away, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is mailing temporary catch record cards to 84,000 people who bought their 2007 Puget Sound Dungeness crab endorsement before May 18.
“We’re mailing temporary catch record cards to make sure that folks can start fishing as soon as crab seasons open,” said Frank Hawley, WDFW license division manager. “But since the temporary cards are not water-resistant, we encourage everyone to visit a local license vendor as soon as possible to trade the temporary cards for water-resistant, permanent ones.”
Those who have changed their address since purchasing their Puget Sound crab endorsement should contact WDFW at (360) 902-2464 to ensure they receive the mailed temporary catch record cards.
When the transfer is made, it’s also important that fishers transfer any recorded harvest from the temporary catch record card to the permanent one, said Rich Childers, WDFW shellfish policy coordinator. That’s because sport fishers will be required to return the temporary catch record cards to license vendors when they are issued the permanent ones.
