Officers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife were patrolling the Westport Marina in an unmarked vehicle. This Marina has several signs including a large posted sign at the entrance stating that it is closed from dusk to dawn. From their vehicle, they observed someone carrying two lawn chairs down the dock. As they continued to watch, they observed three individuals actively engaged in the harvesting of crab. After documenting their observations, one officer retrieved his marked vehicle and returned before contacting the three individuals. >> Hello, Fish and Wildlife Police. How are you guys? How's the crab fishing tonight? >> Good. Good. >> Good? Cool. Well, I'm also in the Fish and Wildlife Police. Body camera is on. You guys have fishing licenses for me? Everybody has a fishing license here? >> Uh yes. Only me and him. >> Okay. You don't have one? You just said yes. >> No, I don't. >> You said, "Does everybody have one?" and you said yes. So, you don't have one? >> Just me. >> Okay. You got your ID on you? >> Yes. >> Awesome. You got your ID, too, please? >> Yes. >> And your ID, please? Cool. Here, I'll give you this back for a second. Do you mind? >> Do you mind? >> Do you mind? You still live at Street? >> No, not right now. >> You don't live there right now? >> No. >> Okay, we'll get that in a second. Your ID? >> Uh two >> Is it up in the car? Okay, we'll just wait. And you got a shellfish and seaweed. Cool. And whose vehicle is that up there? Is that who That's yours? Okay, got you. Cool. Okay, and you got his >> Uh his ID is in the car. I've got his fishing license. >> Oh, you do got his fishing license. Okay. So, who's all crab fishing tonight? >> Sorry? >> Who was all crab fishing tonight? How All of you guys? >> Only me and him. >> Only you and him? Okay. You You sure about that? >> All right. He gave me an answer. So, we were Or else. >> What's that? >> He He came. I was just waiting for him. >> And you ran away. >> Okay. So, I'm going to ask this one more time. How many of you guys were crab fishing? That includes retrieving pots, deploying pots. Are you guys going to lie to me or you going to work with me? >> Work with you. >> Okay, well, we're working together. So, I mean, why Who's all crab fishing? I This is the last time I'm going to ask this, okay? >> Keep in mind, it's worse to lie to us. >> Yep. It's a gross misdemeanor to lie about it. If we're asking questions, we maybe know some answers, right? >> Okay. >> So, as Officer Dean said, who all's crabbing tonight? >> Um All crab fishing in the back. >> Yes. Who is crabbing? >> Me and him. >> Okay, so you guys want to stick with that? Okay. So, you want to just keep lying to us about you participating? >> No. >> You want to be honest about it? >> Yes. >> Okay. Deploying pots, retrieving pots, that's crabbing. Meaning you need a license. Okay? How many How many pots do we have out right now? So, you got a couple here. Oh, we got two. And then how many do you still have out? >> Only Only two. >> Okay, let's get those pulled in right now. So, the floats are closed at dark. You guys are all trespassing. Yep. You walked right by a sign. Right up there where that big that big banner is, it says dawn to dusk. Like you can't be out here after dark. You know, it's it's considered trespassing. So, that's the Port of Westport doesn't want anybody out on these floats after dark if you don't have a boat out here. Yep. All right, so get the rest of your gear pulled. Should be this one here. One down there. I'm just going to walk and check for others real quick. You guys don't have any crab down here right now? >> No. >> Okay. Take this. Everything's in the car? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Hey, you want to stay here for a second? Oh, you got you got another unit of gear? >> Yeah. >> Oh, okay. Yeah. Okay. Grab that, please. So, there's two. You're getting one. And you're getting one. We've got two pots over there. Holy haul, you got a bunch of crab there. And that is not a legal crab ring. That's one of them non-collapsible rings. Okay. That's what I thought. That triangle thing where it doesn't lay flat. That's the one I thought was Yep. >> Like that. I just couldn't >> tell for sure. I picked up his knife sitting over there. So. I didn't see anything else all the way up to the bottom of the ramp. I mean, we saw one of them up at top earlier, but I Yep. Do you have any more gear up top? >> No. >> No, this is everything? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Got you. Got that. Okay. Cool. Anybody else in the car? >> No. >> Okay. >> No, this is all we need. I just gave it to >> Aren't you cold out here in shorts? >> Huh? >> Aren't you cold out here? >> Yeah. >> Yeah, I believe it. Oh, that one's a non-collapsible, too. >> Yep, so same. They don't have any gear that can even be used. >> So, did you guys Did you guys look at any of the fishing regulations? Have you guys looked at the fishing pamphlet as far as what you can do for crab fishing? No? You came out here to crab fish and didn't bother reading any of the rules regarding what you can do with how you >> our first time. >> This is your first time? >> Yeah. >> Okay, but you went and you bought all the gear and you bought all the bait and you came out here to do it in the middle of the night and didn't check any of the rules? You went and bought a license to do it. You so you So, you knew that there was some kind of rules cuz you knew you had to have a license, at least the two of you guys. So, all right, let's head on up to the car. We'll deal with the rest of this up there. Hey guys, so I want to show you guys something here. So, right here, this sign, you guys walked right by that when you came down here. You've walked by it probably a half dozen times, at least. So, yep, so this is the this is the you can't be down here after dark sign, you know. And I mean, there's another one right there and then you got the crab regulations here. >> So, all the >> You guys know like how big the crab have to be to keep and what you can keep? >> Uh 6 in? >> 6 in? Okay, yep. For for what kind of crab? Do you know what kind of crab? No? Okay. >> All right. >> All right, let's uh >> Let's see what we got in the cooler. from >> So, all the crab regulations are posted right on the dock here, you know. So, and on the board up here. So, your ID is in the vehicle, correct? Okay, perfect. Yes. And you're the you're the owner of the vehicle, right? >> Yeah. >> Yeah, okay. Yep. And this is your fishing license, too, right? You said all the crab are in the rig? Okay. Where at the back here? There we go. So, how many crab do you guys got back here? >> I have no idea. >> You have no idea, okay. Did you measure any of them? >> Yes. >> You did measure some. And all three coolers here? >> Yeah. >> All right. Let's just set these out on the ground. How long you guys been here? >> Maybe this one with the >> What time like approximately what time you guys get here today? >> I think an hour or two ago. >> Oh, just the bait. Okay. Oh, you got you got here like eight 8:00 p.m.? Okay. Okay. Well, um >> You have the key to your truck? >> Yeah, do you want me to go >> I can go get it for you. >> So, we got three coolers. Is that one full of crab, too? >> No. No. >> This this one's just ice and bait. Okay. >> Ice. >> Ice and What do you got for bait? Chicken? Yep, chicken. Got you. Okay, is there any more crab up front here? >> I think no more. >> There's nothing no just food? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Just food and water. >> Got you. Okay. Guys, this is a lot of crab. And all right, I don't even have to measure them to know these are not legal. I mean, we're going to go through these, but what How many did you measure some of them? I mean, I can like >> I think some of them. >> Okay. Can you Do you guys got a crab gauge with you? In the in there? Okay. So, show me So, do you know how to measure a crab? Okay. >> Right here. >> Yep. To where? >> To here. >> Right there. Yep, okay. You want to show me how you measure a crab? >> Oh, >> You see You see how that is like over an inch off? That is Yep. So, I mean, you see and that's actually a bigger one that you picked up. So, that's way off. So, I don't I mean, I don't even know if there's a legal one in there or not, guys. Why are you keeping these? Why Why Why? Like, you're hurting the crab population. You can't do this. What Why What are you doing with these, I guess? That's what I want to know. Nobody's going to answer? Are there any females in here or these at least males? Did you guys check on that? Are there females in here or do do you guys check cuz I I'm only seeing a few males right now. Okay, so we you know they got to be 6 in. How many of them can you keep each? >> Um six >> Correct, yes, correct. Yep. We probably got more than three people's limits in here, don't we? >> I don't >> I I mean I'm asking you what do you think there's more than three limits in here? >> No, I don't >> You don't know? It just Okay. Okay. >> This is our first time. >> It's your first time? Why are there Why are there airline tickets on here? >> one time He was He was using it. He's He's cooler. >> For like shipping it somewhere? >> No. >> I'm just curious why there's an airline ticket on there. >> He was using it last time. >> Okay. I mean it looks Where is that SFO? >> Is that San Francisco? He was using this one. >> SFO, is that San Francisco? >> last time >> No, I have a I have flight booked to uh uh 54 >> 54? >> uh This one booked to uh the flight me or the flight >> No, I was just curious where that airport code is. I don't I'm not familiar with that one. SFO. SEA is Seattle. I just don't know where that's at. Just curious. I can look it up online. I was just curious. >> San Francisco >> Yeah, I don't know if it's San Francisco or what. But all right. All right. Wash your hands, sir. We'll be right back. Okay, so you guys are all detained right now, not free to leave. So, just stay here, okay? This one's the full one. I mean >> You just >> dump them in Yeah, I'm not Do we want to get a count first and then >> Yeah, and I can kind of make more room. >> Let's do this. Anything that is legal by chance we can put in. >> Yeah. >> I don't mean total punch >> three four, five, six, seven, eight 12, 13, 14 tickets >> 16 in this first light blue cooler >> 16 >> Okay, 16 okay. >> Let's look here. >> light blue They >> 15 are male or >> All 16 are males. >> Okay. >> All right, so 16. >> 16, yes. >> small >> And that one's >> small >> That one's legal size, but it's soft. >> Okay. >> So, still illegal crab. This one's goodness. Real soft. Almost put my finger through it. So, light blue is 16 males. 13 undersized three 6-in soft. Again, still unlawful crab. Uh should we just put them back in that cooler? >> Should we just count them into this one? >> Okay. 10 20 30 40 We'll have to look at the panels or not, but as we go and say. And that was 40 in the other light blue. Or sorry, 40 in the dark dark blue. Holy cow, look at that one. Can't even get a Like this one roughly 5 and 1/2. And this one is not even that. Maybe 4 something. All right, this one's even smaller than the last one. Yeah, this one's Yeah, roughly 5 and 1/4. That one's got to be 4 and 3/4. Yep. So, seven total. So, this one had 40. 40 all males. So, four of these So, that'd be 36 were undersized. And four are 6-in soft. But, yeah, 49 are undersized, seven are legal-sized soft. >> Okay, I am going to go and leave this. All right, there's the coolers. All right, so the limit per license angler is six. >> You guys had a total of 56 crab. Of those 56, 49 of them were undersized. The other seven are legal-sized, but they're soft, meaning they're in a soft-shell condition, so they're still not allowed to be retained. So, all 56 crab that you had are illegal crab. And you got Let me see. Let me see. You can have You can have 12 and you had 56. More than four times the the limit of what you're allowed to have. Even though he's helping, he's not entitled to a limit. So, as I was saying down there, retrieving gear, deploying gear, measuring and sorting crab, all that stuff is participating in the fishery. You got to have a license. All right? It's not just I I showed up, they got a license, they're good to go. Um did Officer Dean already talk to you about the gear issues with the pots and these rings? Okay. So, you can't use pots this time of year, and then these qualify as pots. They don't classify as a ring cuz they don't lie flat on the bottom. All these crab are soft, that's why it's um no pots this time of year cuz they all get in there and they they'll just kill each other. All right? So, you guys just a minute, okay? Yes, okay. So, all the mailing addresses are good. Okay. So, guys, the whole gravity of the situation here, um there's a limit for a reason so we don't deplete our resources. Like, you guys are way over your limit. So, you get six each, you know, and you got to have a license. So, I mean you could get six, you could get six, you you can't get any because you don't even have a license, you know. That's that's not acceptable. You can't come out here and keep this many crab without a license, let alone they're all undersized. The The few that aren't undersized are soft shell, so did you guys Can you guys tell when you pick them up how if they're soft? I mean, these things are These things are really squishy. So, when they're when they're that soft, that means they just molted and they're growing into their new shell. There's no meat in there even, so there's no even reason cuz they're growing into a new shell. They just lost their old shell, so there's no reason to even keep them crab, okay? So, all these I mean, they're they're severely undersized. There's no reason to keep them, okay? So, um they're all a criminal violation. So, you guys are all two times over your possession limit. So, you're going to get a criminal Each one of you are going to get a criminal violation for that. Each one of you are going to get a criminal violation for the undersized crab, um and you are going to get an additional criminal violation for fishing without a license, okay? So, how this works is All right, the report I'm going to refer it to the Grays Harbor County Prosecutor's Office. And uh they're going to be sending you the citations in the mail. That's why we got your mailing addresses, okay? So, when you get these citations in the mail, you need to follow through with them. They're going to give you a court date. You're going to have to come back to Grays Harbor for court for all this. This is This is not acceptable. We should be seizing your vehicle right now. Like, you you should be finding a bus ride home. You shouldn't You can't be doing this. This This is not acceptable. You need to follow the, you know, open up that that fishing rule regulation. Start reading that before you start coming out and taking all this huge amount of resource, you know? This is supposed to go for everybody. You guys can't harvest it all. This is supposed to be like spread out for everybody else. There's got to be crab left out here to populate the area, you know? So, um you're you're really hurting the resource, okay? Uh You can't Don't be doing this again. I I get that it's You said it's your first time, you know, but that's That's still not acceptable at all, you know? You got to figure that out. You guys walk by signs that say the crab regulations right out of them. There's two of them right I think there's three. There's two down there and there's one right there. So, I mean you got to pay It's clearly lit up. I don't know why you didn't bother checking that out, okay? So, how So, I'm just going to be referring this to the court. Keep an eye in the mail for the the citations, okay? And follow through with them. If you got questions, the address to the court's going to be listed on the top, okay? The address and mailing All the court's information will be at the top of your citations. Make sure you read over that. It'll tell you about your mandatory appearance that you have to be there. If you don't show up for your mandatory appearance, you will get a warrant for your arrest. You understand? Okay. So, another thing on there is does everybody speak fluent English for the court or do we need to put a different language for a translator on there? >> Um translator we need translator for >> For Marshallese? >> Yeah. >> Okay, all three? >> Yeah. >> You seem to speak pretty good, but all three? Okay. We can list it on there. I think they use an automated or a telephonic translator if needed. But, we'll we'll list it on there um for Marshallese um and make sure we get that on there. So, these citations don't include the fact that we're not citing you guys for the unlawful gear and we're not citing you for the soft crab. We're citing you for the undersized crab. We're warning you on the gear and the soft crab, okay? So, you guys are getting some warnings today. Um but, we're seizing all the crab and then you guys will get those citations in the mail. Do you have any questions for us? >> No. >> Okay. Let me get you this stuff back and we'll get out of your guys' way. >> So, just just so you guys know, you can't fish with pots. It It's rings only right now. Or ring like other flat rings. Them don't count because they don't lay flat, okay? So, that's This doesn't switch Grays Harbor over here doesn't switch over to the use of pots for recreational until December 1st, so. Okay? All right, I'm just going to lay this knife right here on top of this cooler and we'll get out of here, all right? So, just so you guys are aware, out of all that crap was out back there, you didn't have one legal crab. There wasn't a single keeper in there. Just because there was a few that, you know, what was it? Six or 10? There was seven that were legal size, but they were all soft. Yes, okay. So, that's just to let you guys know, you guys got to check on that, okay? So, let's let's not have this problem again out here. I'm out here all the time. I don't want to come back out in the dark and contact you guys again doing this, okay? Let's do it right, okay? >> Thank you. >> Okay, see you. >> Yeah. >> According to the report, the officer referred Alex on three charges: possessing Dungeness crab without the required license, possessing over two times the legal limit of Dungeness crab, and possessing illegal undersized Dungeness crab. The other two received charges for retaining or possessing more than twice the daily bag limit, and possessing undersized Dungeness crab. The Grays County Court does not post public records online, but we've requested a follow-up for this case. After seizing all 56 illegal crab, they were released back into the water within the Westport Marina. If you like this video and want to see more, like and subscribe to Arrest Cam. As always, thanks for watching.