Crabbing Question

[Wacenturion]

Ok....I give up.  Tired of looking.  Here's the question I have.

Myself and someone else in my boat.  I have two traps with my name on it as I'm allowed.  The friend has no traps.  We both have crab licenses.  Obviously I can harvest my limit.  Question is can my friend harvest his limit from my trap pulls?

Unless I missed it somewhere in the regulations......why the hell don't they explain it.  Seems like something that would happen almost all the time.

Thanks for the help.

[jaymark6655]

Unless I missed something (haven't read fishing regs for three years now)  can fish using someone else's traps,  would be like fishing with someone elses pole.  Just not allowed to have more than four pots on the boat, I think the name on the gear is mainly for trying to reclaim/return  lost gear.

[Limhangerslayer]

I think jaymark on that one.  What you could do is have the extra bouys with his name on them, cheap quick fix.  Then you know you're legal.

[wraithen]

The limit thing is per person.The name on the bouy is instant tattle-tale if you're caught stealing gear, or if someone finds your lost gear.  Bunch of guys I used to work with would pool their pots. Whatever number of people wanted to crab, they took out twice that many pots. Never got questioned about wrong names on the bouys anyway. 

[steeleywhopper]

You are both legal to crab off of your pots. I had this discussion with a LE last year and my buddy also had the same chat with one as well, he got the go ahead as well. As long as you are not over your allowed pots per person you are fine.

[Wacenturion]

Unless I missed something (haven't read fishing regs for three years now)  can fish using someone else's traps,  would be like fishing with someone elses pole.  Just not allowed to have more than four pots on the boat, I think the name on the gear is mainly for trying to reclaim/return  lost gear.

No limit on number of pots on the boat, but there is a limit of two pots per person with his or her name and address on those two pots.  Just wanted to clarify that.  That was clearly evident in the regs.

[lokidog]

Put some duct tape over your name on one of the pots and put his name and address on the pot. They are extremely strict when it comes to crab.

Don't worry about it!  As mentioned above, you can have two crab pots with your name on it and ten people can get their limits out of them.  The only restriction on number of pots is for shrimping, four in a boat no matter how many people, but there again, any number of people can limit out of those pots.  Just make sure that the person who's name is on the buoy is in the boat.  That is about the only way I think they can get you if you are following size restrictions and limits.

[RB]

The best thing to do if you are the only one with crab pots is to let your buddies get their crab first, because once you have your limit technically you are done and can no longer have your gear in the water. 

[groundhog]

I think you need to have his name on one of the pots to be legal. We use rubbing alcohol to wipe off one name and add another.

[fishinmike]

You can fish as many people as you want with the two traps. Just make sure that when you pull the pots the person whose name is on them is in the boat. That way there is no question on ownership.

[Encore 280]

One thing I don't agree with and I know that it's optional is the phone number and the address is fine as long as it's a PO box. With some of the sick *censored*s out there and they come upon a lady's name and address and phone number, bad news from the get go. Glad I have a PO box that my wife can put on her buoys. She has nice buoys. Just a word of caution.

[sirmissalot]

You can fish as many people as you want with the two traps. Just make sure that when you pull the pots the person whose name is on them is in the boat. That way there is no question on ownership.

  Bingo

[Wacenturion]

You can fish as many people as you want with the two traps. Just make sure that when you pull the pots the person whose name is on them is in the boat. That way there is no question on ownership.

  Bingo

Thanks all for the responses!  Appreciate it.

You would think that WDFW would add one or two sentences to clarify that.  Not like the pamphlet doesn't have room....good grief.

[huntnphool]

 If you need a couple more pots you can borrow a couple of mine.

[Wacenturion]

phool....thanks for the offer.     Have plenty, just irritated over lack of explanation in regs.

[Wacenturion]

On page 135 of the regulations it says....

"Any angler may assist the person whose name is on the buoy while he or she is pulling the pot."

but therein lies the question. It says may assist the person's whose name is on the pot while he or she is pulling the pot. However it does not specifically say anything about the helper harvesting crabs from that pot.

One more sentence saying that.....

the person helping may also legally harvest crabs from said pot with the proper license while adhering to specific individual area limit(s)

would certainly end any confusion.

[huntnphool]

 I know for shrimp we have to have a different buoy for each person, I made poles that the buoy can slide on and off to make it easy to swap them on the water.

[Wacenturion]

I know for shrimp we have to have a different buoy for each person, I made poles that the buoy can slide on and off to make it easy to swap them on the water.

Will probably be doing something similar.

[lokidog]

I know for shrimp we have to have a different buoy for each person, I made poles that the buoy can slide on and off to make it easy to swap them on the water.

IMO - A waste of time unless one of the people leaves the boat whose name is on the buoy....    

[huntnphool]

Put some duct tape over your name on one of the pots and put his name and address on the pot. They are extremely strict when it comes to crab.

"GENERAL GEAR RULES:
Every shellfish pot, ring net, or star trap left unattended in Washington waters must have its own buoy line and a separate buoy that is permanently and legibly marked with the operator’s first name, last name, and permanent address"

[Wacenturion]

Here's what I sent to the office in charge of fishing regulations and well as the WDFW's Commission office.


Suggestion for next years fishing regulations.........


The statewide general rules....crab, shrimp and crawfish state the following............


On page 135 2nd full paragraph under general gear rules
"Any angler may assist the person whose name is on the buoy while he or she is pulling the pot."


Therein lies the question. It says may assist the person's whose name is on the pot while he or she is pulling the pot. However it does not specifically say anything about the helper harvesting crabs, shrimp or crawfish from that pot.

One more sentence saying that.....

"the person helping may also legally harvest crabs from said pot with the proper license while adhering to specific individual area limit(s)" ....

or

"if the person assisting has the appropriate license, he or she can also record crab, shrimp or crawfish harvested from those pots."


would certainly end any confusion. Please consider adding something of like that for next years publication.

Thanks

Dan

[Wacenturion]

Here's the first response back........


Dear Mr. XXXXXXX ,

Thank you for taking the time to email your comments to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. Each commissioner will receive a copy.

Opinions and comments such as yours provide the Commission with valuable insight into fish and wildlife issues of concern to communities throughout our state. The Commission relies on public testimony, email, and correspondence to help determine what is working well and what requires more concentrated efforts.

Thank you for your interest in the conservation and management of the state’s precious fish and wildlife resources.

Sincerely,

Erin Gariépy, Administrative Assistant
Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission
Mail: 600 Capitol Way N, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
Phone:(360) 902-2267; Fax : (360) 902-2448
Web: www.wdfw.wa.gov/commission

[Chase 1]

That is their auto generated reply. Did you send that through the "proposal for rule change" form to the DFW also? If not here is the link 

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/rule_proposals/

Really all your asking for is an amendment for clarification. You can already harvest using others traps but specific language would be reasonable. 

[huntnphool]

Here's the first response back........


Dear Mr. XXXXXXX ,

Thank you for taking the time to email your comments to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission. Each commissioner will receive a copy.

Opinions and comments such as yours provide the Commission with valuable insight into fish and wildlife issues of concern to communities throughout our state. The Commission relies on public testimony, email, and correspondence to help determine what is working well and what requires more concentrated efforts.

Thank you for your interest in the conservation and management of the state’s precious fish and wildlife resources.

Sincerely,

Erin Gariépy, Administrative Assistant
Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission
Mail: 600 Capitol Way N, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
Phone:(360) 902-2267; Fax : (360) 902-2448
Web: www.wdfw.wa.gov/commission

  Thank you for your email, now go away!

[Wacenturion]

That is their auto generated reply. Did you send that through the "proposal for rule change" form to the DFW also? If not here is the link 

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/rule_proposals/

Really all your asking for is an amendment for clarification. You can already harvest using others traps but specific language would be reasonable. 

Sent it to the Commission, and the Fish Section earlier.  Just now followed your link and submitted as an amendment there also.

Thanks.

[Wacenturion]

'You can already harvest using others traps but specific language would be reasonable."

You think....lol 

Current language says absolutely nothing about harvest...zip, nada.  I realize it a matter of interpretation....no not even that.  Officer could write a ticket on that and I would have to show where it said I could harvest off my buddies trap.  Unfortunately, I could conceivably lose....language doesn't exist.