Study Explores Dungeness Crab Movement in Central Puget Sound
October 9, 2025 | 1 min to read
Researchers from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Suquamish Tribe tracked movement of Dungeness crab in central Puget Sound’s Marine Area 10, capturing, tagging, and releasing 555 legal-size male crabs over four days in late September across six sites from Alki Point to Apple Cove Point, aiming to illuminate elusive seafloor pathways and crab distribution in the Seattle–Bremerton area.
Lurking in the depths of central Puget Sound lies a labyrinth of seafloor pathways that Dungeness crab inhabit.
As they scurry along the sea bottom, it is difficult to track their whereabouts, but a collaborative study between the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the Suquamish Tribe hopes to shed light about crab movement within Puget Sound’s Marine Area 10 (Seattle and Bremerton Area).
During a four-day period in late September, WDFW and the Suquamish Tribe captured, tagged and released 555 legal-size male Dungeness crab. The project spanned across six locations in Marine Area 10 from Alki Point in West Seattle north to Apple Cove Point near Kingston.
To read more, please visit The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife