ODFW release – December 22, 2022 – NEWPORT, Ore – 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. A history of Oregon’s commercial crab landings is available online. Visit the ODA Commercial Crab Biotoxin webpage for biotoxin information.
