The ocean commercial Dungeness crab season remains closed until at least Jan. 15, 2023. Round three of pre-season testing shows crabs still remain too low in meat yield on the southern and northern coasts. Elevated domoic acid is still detected in some crab viscera (guts). Additional crab meat yield and biotoxin testing will occur in the coming weeks. Results help determine which parts of Oregon could open Jan. 15, 2023 or be further delayed.
Targeted to open Dec. 1, Oregon's ocean commercial Dungeness crab season can be delayed so consumers get a high-quality product and crabs are not wasted. Providing a quality product to consumers is a high priority for the fishing industry and ODFW. ODFW tests crabs out of Oregon's six major crabbing ports in partnership with the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), and the commercial Dungeness crab industry. Tri-state crab quality testing protocol is available online.
In Oregon, commercial Dungeness crab landings from the ocean and Columbia River have averaged 18.4 million pounds per season with an average ex-vessel value of 49.7 million dollars, over the last twenty years. The 2004-2005 season saw a record high of over 33.5 million pounds of crab landed and the 2021-22 season saw a record high of over 91.5 million dollars ex-vessel value.
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