Crabbers planning to stage protest at commission meeting


By Wayne Kruse
Outdoor Writer

OK, crabbers, here's your chance to participate in - or forever quit complaining about - recreational crab management in Puget Sound. The East Jefferson Chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers has organized what promises to be a big protest on Dec. 6 in Port Townsend and at Fort Worden State Park. The protest coincides with the December meeting of the state Fish and Wildlife Commission at Fort Worden.

First a little background, courtesy of Puget Sound Anglers spokesman JD Wade.

"We have a growing problem with recreational crab seasons in Puget Sound," Wade said. "Each year there are over 8 million pounds of Dungeness crab harvested from Sound waters, and sportsmen are allowed less than 16 percent of that. Another 11 million pounds is taken off the coast, of which sportsmen catch only about 1 percent. That latter is acceptable, since we are not equipped to fish where the coastal commercials do.

"Five years ago, the Puget Sound crab seasons lasted nine months. This year, the shrinking seasons amounted to just days in many areas. Marine Area 8-2, around Everett, for example, was only 56 days. Today there are 148,000 recreational crab anglers, probably double what it was five years ago, when current crab allocations were set. Participation is rising yearly; anglers need larger percentages of the annual catch.

"The harvest is divided thus: The first half goes to the tribes, per federal mandate. The remaining half, over 4 million pounds, is divided between sportsmen and non-tribal commercials. The split was designed five years ago to be 60 percent commercial, 40 percent recreational, but 148,000 recreational crabbers catch their quota pretty quickly.

"The state Fish and Wildlife Commission is notorious for protecting commercial interests in almost every instance - salmon, halibut, shrimp, and especially crab. There are only 242 non-tribal commercial crab fishermen, taking 2.4 million pounds of crab, leaving 148,000 sportsmen with only 1.6 million. We're asking for half, which seems fair, but the commission will not listen. They meet again Dec. 6 at Port Townsend's Fort Worden meeting and convention center."

Wade said the East Jefferson Chapter is attempting to gather 50,000 petition signatures by mid-January, and already has 10,000 in the can. When the target is reached, the signatures will be presented to the governor. For more information on obtaining a petition, call Gary Hulsey at 360-379-3922, or e-mail garyhulsey@aol.com, or write: East Jefferson Chapter, Puget Sound Anglers, P.O. Box 157, Port Townsend, Wash., 98368.

The Dec. 6 protest gathering involves an organized drive through Port Townsend, an on-the-water boat parade, and then a "Crab Convoy" to the Fort Warden facility, bearing the slogan "We Crab, We Fish, We Vote."

Hulsey, chapter president, has all the times and other details, or, "We invite all sport crabbers to join us. Bring a boat if you can, or just show up by 9 or 10 a.m. Dec. 6 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Port Townsend, and help us save our sport," he said.

AND IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE SO YET. SIGN THE PETITION .
petition thread
Crab article

Thanks to Wayne Kruse for getting together with us to promote this important protest coming up on the 6th. Puget Sound Anglers will be there in force and we hope to see many readers of this board there too to show the WDFW commission that we mean business.

Here is the latest report I received via email from the organizer, Gary Hulsey:


Final plans for the crab Convoy are now in place and are being spread to the media and the public through the Internet. KIRO 7's Kevin McCarty is on record as planning on covering the story and the Everett Herald has said they were interested. The papers on the Peninsula have been covering us weekly for several weeks now and I just got word today that the Seattle PI will write a story. I have contacted all the other Seattle TV stations but have not heard back from them.
After meeting with civic and business leaders in Port Townsend we have developed the following Schedule;
Assemble at the fair grounds by 10:00AM., Those that are going to participate in the downtown demonstration should be there by 9:00AM. That convoy will be made up of PSA Representatives from every Chapter in attendance up to 26 total. We will leave for downtown at 9:00 and coincide with the on the water demonstration that will take place at the salmon club launch in downtown P. T. We will shuttle foot demonstrators
to the salmon club and haul them back in time for the Fort Worden convoy.
The Fort Warden Convoy will leave for the fort at 11:00 and will be in place at the fort when the commission breaks for lunch. We will circle the Fort Warden Parade Ground and exit the way we came in. This will take by the commission meeting place on the way in and out.
The city will provide a shuttle bus that will run from the fair grounds to the downtown and back on a 30 minute schedule for those wanting to see downtown and get a bite to eat.
City police will assist with traffic control and will work to make this run smoothly as well as provide access for TV trucks and news media.
We will have the route into the fairgrounds posted with signs and there will be people at crucial turns to act as guides so no one should get lost.
We have over 1000 signatures in hand here in P. T. Sno/King reported 5000 a couple of weeks ago. South King Co. reported 475 this past week with over 100 petitions still out. I have heard that someone in Yakima had 8 or 10 pages filled out and was looking for a place to send them. Fidalgo and Whidbey chapters and circulating petitions. E-mail me with your latest estimates and bring any you have with you when you come on the 6th of DEC. I am telling media we have 8 to 10,000. That may be conservative. We should have a number to throw around at the Convoy so make a reasonable estimate and get it to me.
Try to get as many people to show up as possible. You don't have to have a boat to be in this with us, just show up.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Gary