Crab
Contact: Jeff Marx, 337.373.0032, jmarx@wlf.la.gov
Legal Gear
You may only use the following gear to harvest crabs in Louisiana waters:
• Crab traps
• Crab drop nets
• Trawl, skimmer, and butterfly nets*
• Trotlines, handlines, and bushlines
• Dip and cast nets
*You may only use trawls and butterfly and skimmer nets to harvest crabs during
open shrimp seasons and must abide by commercial shrimping regulations.
You may not use dredges to intentionally harvest crabs.
Commercial Gear Licenses
In addition to the applicable licenses and permits listed on pages 7-9, you must
have the following Commercial Gear Licenses to use or possess commercial
fishing gear:
• Any legal number of crab traps*: $50 resident, $200 nonresident
• Each butterfly, skimmer, or trawl net: $25 resident, $100 nonresident, plus
an annual gear fee ($10 resident, $40 nonresident)
• Each cast, dip, or drop net: $25 resident, $100 nonresident
• Any legal number of bush, hand, or trotlines: $25 resident, $100 nonresident
*Any commercial fisherman applying for a Commercial Crab Trap Gear License
must have either (1) possessed a valid Commercial Crab Trap Gear License in any
two of the following years: 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014; or (2) possessed a valid
Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer License and can demonstrate crab landings
through trip ticket submissions during any two years between 2011 and 2014.
Otherwise, they must first enroll in and complete a crab industry professionalism
program. See
www.wlf.louisiana.gov/crabtraining for details.
Seasons
In 2017, 2018, and 2019, the commercial harvest of blue crabs and the use of
all crab traps are prohibited for a 30-day period beginning on the 3rd Monday
in February. All crab traps remaining in Louisiana’s territorial waters during this
closure will be presumed to be actively fishing and thus considered illegal.
The Commission may also prohibit the use of crab traps in certain areas for short
periods of time to remove lost or abandoned traps through the Derelict Crab
Trap Removal Program.
Size Limits
Any commercial fisherman identified as having sold undersized crabs to a
wholesale/retail dealer will be subject to penalties for taking and possessing
undersized crabs.
Hard shell crabs: You may only harvest crabs 5 inches carapace width or wider.
Since at least half of the crab population has sexually matured at this size, this
minimum size limit helps ensure crabs are able to reproduce and replace those
that are harvested. You must immediately return crabs smaller than 5 inches wide
back to the water without injury.
Immature female crabs: You may not harvest immature female blue crabs during
2017, 2018 and 2019, except when an immature female is in the pre-molt stage
and is being held for processing as soft shell crab or sold to a processor for
making soft shell crab.
Pre-molt crabs*: You may harvest pre-molt crabs smaller than 5 inches carapace
width under the following conditions:
• You’re holding them for processing as soft shell crabs, OR
• You’re selling them to a processor for making soft shell crabs, have properly
identified them as pre-molt crabs, and are holding them in a separate
container marked “peelers” or “busters”.
*Pre-molt crabs are crabs showing signs of molting; the first sign is a white line
on the back paddle fin.
Stone crabs: You may only harvest stone crab claws. The claws must measure at
least 2-3/4 inches from the tip of the claw to the base of the joint. You may only
transfer legal size stone crab claws from a vessel to the shore. You may keep
whole stone crabs on a vessel until you have removed their claws; then you must
immediately return the crabs to the waters where you harvested them.
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Contact: Jeff Marx, 337.373.0032, jmarx@wlf.la.gov
Legal Gear
You may only use the following gear to harvest crabs in Louisiana waters:
• Crab traps
• Crab drop nets
• Trawl, skimmer, and butterfly nets*
• Trotlines, handlines, and bushlines
• Dip and cast nets
*You may only use trawls and butterfly and skimmer nets to harvest crabs during
open shrimp seasons and must abide by commercial shrimping regulations.
You may not use dredges to intentionally harvest crabs.
Commercial Gear Licenses
In addition to the applicable licenses and permits listed on pages 7-9, you must
have the following Commercial Gear Licenses to use or possess commercial
fishing gear:
• Any legal number of crab traps*: $50 resident, $200 nonresident
• Each butterfly, skimmer, or trawl net: $25 resident, $100 nonresident, plus
an annual gear fee ($10 resident, $40 nonresident)
• Each cast, dip, or drop net: $25 resident, $100 nonresident
• Any legal number of bush, hand, or trotlines: $25 resident, $100 nonresident
*Any commercial fisherman applying for a Commercial Crab Trap Gear License
must have either (1) possessed a valid Commercial Crab Trap Gear License in any
two of the following years: 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014; or (2) possessed a valid
Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer License and can demonstrate crab landings
through trip ticket submissions during any two years between 2011 and 2014.
Otherwise, they must first enroll in and complete a crab industry professionalism
program. See
www.wlf.louisiana.gov/crabtraining for details.
Seasons
In 2017, 2018, and 2019, the commercial harvest of blue crabs and the use of
all crab traps are prohibited for a 30-day period beginning on the 3rd Monday
in February. All crab traps remaining in Louisiana’s territorial waters during this
closure will be presumed to be actively fishing and thus considered illegal.
The Commission may also prohibit the use of crab traps in certain areas for short
periods of time to remove lost or abandoned traps through the Derelict Crab
Trap Removal Program.
Size Limits
Any commercial fisherman identified as having sold undersized crabs to a
wholesale/retail dealer will be subject to penalties for taking and possessing
undersized crabs.
Hard shell crabs: You may only harvest crabs 5 inches carapace width or wider.
Since at least half of the crab population has sexually matured at this size, this
minimum size limit helps ensure crabs are able to reproduce and replace those
that are harvested. You must immediately return crabs smaller than 5 inches wide
back to the water without injury.
Immature female crabs: You may not harvest immature female blue crabs during
2017, 2018 and 2019, except when an immature female is in the pre-molt stage
and is being held for processing as soft shell crab or sold to a processor for
making soft shell crab.
Pre-molt crabs*: You may harvest pre-molt crabs smaller than 5 inches carapace
width under the following conditions:
• You’re holding them for processing as soft shell crabs, OR
• You’re selling them to a processor for making soft shell crabs, have properly
identified them as pre-molt crabs, and are holding them in a separate
container marked “peelers” or “busters”.
*Pre-molt crabs are crabs showing signs of molting; the first sign is a white line
on the back paddle fin.
Stone crabs: You may only harvest stone crab claws. The claws must measure at
least 2-3/4 inches from the tip of the claw to the base of the joint. You may only
transfer legal size stone crab claws from a vessel to the shore. You may keep
whole stone crabs on a vessel until you have removed their claws; then you must
immediately return the crabs to the waters where you harvested them.
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