Commercial Dungeness season delayed until at least Dec. 16, ODFW announces Friday, to wait for Washington improvements

NEWPORT — Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab season is delayed coastwide until at least Dec. 16, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday.

Dungeness crab along the Oregon coast met both meat and safe biotoxin level requirements, however the ODFW said the season will be delayed as crab tested in the Long Beach, Wash. area have not yet met the meat fill requirement.

In a news release Friday, the ODFW said most Dungeness crab advisory committee members supported the delay as it is least disruptive to traditional fishing patterns and may improve market conditions. The tension comes because if the Washington season is closed and the Oregon season is open, then Washington crabbers with permits for both states move their operations to the north Oregon coast, putting extra pressure on the fishery.

Washington will test again and if meat fill in Long Beach crab hit the required 23 percent, the season will open Dec. 16. If meat fill is less than 23 percent, ODFW said it will consider a partial opening south of Cape Falcon near Manzanita after consulting with the commercial crabbers and Washington and California agencies.

When the Oregon season does open, it will be under a fleet advisory that fishing vessels should be vigilant and move or avoid setting gear in areas where whales are foraging or transiting to minimize risk of entanglement.

Oregon’s ocean commercial Dungeness crab season is allowed to open Dec. 1 if conditions are met, the ODFW said, but it can also be delayed because of test results or to have an orderly opening in conjunction with Washington and California fleets.

The Dungeness crab fishery is Oregon’s most valuable and the 2024-25 season opened Dec. 16, 2024, and ended up setting a record amount paid to fisherman of $97.1 million.

The commercial bay crab fishery closes at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 1 in conjunction with the delayed ocean commercial season. It will reopen through December if the ocean commercial season does so.

The recreational ocean Dungeness crab season is slated to reopen Dec. 1. Recreational crab harvesting in bays, estuaries, and on beaches, docks, piers, and jetties is currently open coastwide.