Decimation of crab in East MA 6

[Hewescraft220]

Okay....so, here is the painful fact. The local fishermen (and women) here knew that considering what we witnessed this past year out on the water in our area, that it was only a matter of time and we'd see no crab in the water. Since crab season started on Saturday, everyone and I mean 'everyone' we've encountered at John Wayne Maria is complaining of ridiculously low crab catches. Lower then they've 'ever' seen(!)

The fact is that my wife and I (and many others) have witnessed so many crab pots out in the water in our area this year 'all year' that you could walk across them. It's bad enough when it's any particular part of the year, but this has been allowed to go on 'thorughout' the year. As we are right on the bluff that looks out to Protection Island and Discovery Bay areas, we have witnessed this 'fact' and it's absolutely disgraceful. People are now saying they are not going crabbing anymore due to the total frustration and failure of the WDFW to control the raping of the area waters.

No one wants to point a finger, but we can categorically state they are tribal boats as we've witnessed them right next to us out on the water. That's not to say that there aren't commercials out there, we only know what we can see. In any case, the marine area has been literally 'raped' of crab throughout the year with seemingly '0' control from Fish and Game and/or any other government agencies. Needless to say, we've lost ALL CONFIDENCE in Fish and Game and the government allowing this to happen.

While we sit there and diligently check our boxes for crab and check for females in our pots to throw back and measure the males, etc....we've 'witnessed' tribal boats with huge pots and dozens upon dozens of crab (male and female both) stacked on top of one another in the pots in the middle of the boat; not in livewells or any water source, just stacked atop each other in these huge pots. A few females were quickly identified and thrown off the boat back into the water - what's the point if they're already dead!!! I wish we took a video/photo.

When the boats come to port, the crab are quickly transferred to fish trucks from Tacoma and Seattle sitting and waiting in John Wayne Parking Lot. No checks, no nothing!

The worse part of this continuous raping is that the population of Dungeness crab are not been given a chance to repopulate . They're getting constantly hammered by the tribes and when it comes to us as recreational fishermen and pay or licences, we are left to pick up what's left of the pieces. I see this as a tragedy for the species and unless there is something going to be done, then I fear we will have no crab at all.

Is there any where that we as recreational fishermen can go to voice our disgust and concern?