Dungeness crab trap

• About Oregon crabbing / FAQs
• Where and when to crab
• How to crab by boat or from the dock
• Shellfishing regulations
• Crab identification
• Crab life history
• Crab behavior
• Crab research
• Crabbing reports
• Research results

Reports

ODFW creel monitoring for recreational crab harvest takes place in Columbia, Tillamook, Netarts, Yaquina, Alsea, and Coos Bay.

Recreational crabbing has been really good in most bays and excellent in the ocean.  September is shaping up to be a great month for crabbing as the crabs are plentiful and are really beginning to fill with meat.  The best time for crabbing in Oregon bays is the late summer and fall.

The unit of “Crabs per person" reflects the average number of legal size Dungeness crab caught for each recreational fisher for their crabbing trip, as reported by interview’s conducted by creel surveyors.

Publications

• Ainsworth, J. C., M. Vance, M. V. Hunter, and E. Schindler. 2012. The Oregon recreational dungeness crab fishery, 2007-2011.Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Information Report 2012-04, Marine Resources Program, Newport, OR.

• Ainsworth, Justin & M. Vance. 2009. Recreational shellfish catch and effort surveys in Oregon estuaries (pdf). Newport, OR: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. PERS Conference poster.

• Vance, Mitch & J. Ainsworth. 2009. Estuarine Crab Resource Monitoring and Assessment Project (pdf). Newport, OR: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. PERS Conference poster.