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Commercial crab fishing season opening weekly updates
In accordance with the Tri-State protocol (revised August 2024, pdf) pre-season testing in Oregon will begin in early November. Meat recovery and biotoxin results from the test fishery will be used as a basis for deciding the crab season opening date(s). In partnership with the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission and the commercial Dungeness crab industry, ODFW collects and tests crab out of the six major crabbing ports in Oregon. Weekly testing updates, along with information about season opening status will be posted below. Weekly updates will be provided until the decision to open the season is made.
In consultation with the crab industry, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and California and Washington fishery
managers, based on meat recovery and domoic acid results from preseason testing, ODFW is opening a portion of the Oregon
ocean commercial Dungeness crab season as follows:
Cape Falcon (45° 46’ 00” N. Lat.) to Oregon/Washington border (46° 15’ 00” N. Lat.)
73 hr presoak begins (setting gear):
December 28, 8:00 a.m. Hold Inspections: December 30 Start date (pulling gear): December 31, 9:00 a.m.
See industry notice posted above and news release posted here.
12/15 - Monday
Test crab from Long Beach, Washington area were landed on December 13 and passed meat recovery criteria, see results
posted above.
12/5 - Friday
In consultation with the crab industry, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and California and Washington fishery
managers, based on meat recovery and domoic acid results from preseason testing, ODFW is opening the Oregon ocean
commercial Dungeness crab season as follows:
Cape Falcon (45° 46’ 00” N. Lat.) southward to the Oregon/California border (42° 00’ 00” N. Lat.)
73 hr presoak begins (setting gear): December 13, 8:00 a.m. Hold Inspections: December 15 Start date (pulling gear): December 16, 9:00 a.m.
See industry notice posted above and news release posted here.
12/3 - Wednesday
Test crab from Long Beach, Washington area were landed on December 2 and did not pass meat recovery criteria, see
results posted above.
11/26 - Wednesday
The next Long Beach, Washington test is currently scheduled for December 2, weather dependent. If that area passes meat recovery criteria, the Oregon fishery will open on December 16. If not, we will reinitiate industry and Tri-State consultations to determine an opening structure for the Oregon fishery.
11/21 - Friday
Today we are announcing a Tri-State agreement to delay the ocean commercial Dungeness crab season coastwide in Oregon until at least December 16. This delay will allow completion of additional testing for meat recovery off Washington with the goal of a coordinated opener that avoids disrupting traditional fishing patterns. See industry notice posted above, and news release posted here.
11/12 - Wednesday
Crab were collected from all 12 Oregon harvest areas for meat recovery and domoic acid testing. All areas met meat
recovery criteria, see results posted above. Domoic acid results will be posted on Oregon Department of Agriculture’s
website here when they are available. Additional results from Washington are expected Thursday (11/12) and will be added
to the results posted above when available.
Next week we will discuss season opening options with advisors once all results are in and plan to meet with Tri-State
managers on Friday (11/21). An industry notice will be posted above once any decisions on the opening are made. To
receive email/text alerts for all season opening decisions sign up for the Commercial Dungeness crab fishery Saltwater
news bulletin here.
11/7 - Friday
All volunteer boats are on target to set pots Saturday and deliver test crab Sunday. Meat recovery results are likely to
be available shortly thereafter and will be posted above, and full domoic acid results are likely to be available by
Wednesday, 11/19, posted here.
10/30 - Thursday
Volunteer boats are lined up coastwide to collect crab for meat recovery and domoic acid from all 12 crab harvest areas starting next week, weather permitting. To ensure testing protocols are followed we are planning to have onboard
observers for all gear retrieval trips.
Tri-State area meat recovery results will be posted on this page just above this table when they are available. All crab
domoic acid results will be posted on Oregon Department of Agriculture’s website here.
If you are interested in volunteering as a backup vessel or participating in subsequent rounds of testing if they are
needed, please call or email Cathleen Vestfals (541) 961-6924; Cathleen.D.Vestfals@odfw.oregon.gov.
4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE :: Salem, OR 97302 :: Main Phone (503) 947-6000 or (800) 720-ODFW [6339]
Do you have a question or comment for ODFW? Contact ODFW's Public Service Representative at: odfw.info@odfw.oregon.gov
Do you need this information in an alternative format or language? Contact 503-947-6000 or click here.
