The Commercial Dungeness Crab season is getting close. The season normally opens December 1st, and runs into mid-August of next year. However, the bulk of the landings occur during the months of December and January. Fishery managers in Oregon, Washington and California will reportedly meet to make a decision on the start of the season based on the meat content of Dungeness Crab. South of Cascade Head (north of Lincoln City), managers look for a 25% meat content. North of Cascade Head, 23% is needed. A first round of testing, completed by Nov. 15, reportedly showed a 28% meat content off Coos Bay, but lower amounts were found to the north and south. A second round of testing is scheduled to end on Friday, Nov. 22. If a third round of testing is necessary, it has to be completed by Dec. 22, and could delay the start of the season until Jan. 15, 2014.
