In partnership with the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission (ODCC), the second round of Oregon preseason Dungeness crab quality and domoic acid testing was conducted coastwide during November 29th -December 3rd. The minimum meat recovery rates to be met in each test area are 23% north of Cascade Head (no rounding allowed) and 25% south of Cascade Head (rounded to the nearest integer). There are still multiple areas that did not meet recovery criteria throughout the Tri-State region, see back for all meat recovery results. Domoic acid also remains elevated in crab viscera in Southern Oregon and Northern California.
All Oregon domoic acid results are posted on ODA’s website at http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/shared/Documents/Publications/FoodSafety/CurrentCra bBiotoxinData.pdf.
If the season opens Jan. 1, it will be two weeks earlier than the 2017-18 season — which didn’t start until Jan. 15 — and on par with the 2016-17 season, which started Jan. 1, 2017.
Based on these results and consultations with the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Washington and California Departments of Fish and Wildlife, continuing the delay of the ocean commercial Dungeness crab season along the entire Oregon coast until at least December 31st. This delay will allow completion of additional testing for meat quality and domoic acid in order to provide confidence that crab harvested from Oregon waters are of high quality and safe to consume.
In the next couple of weeks, we will be continuing to work closely with ODA, fishery managers from WA and CA, and the Oregon commercial Dungeness crab industry to complete additional meat quality and domoic acid testing. The on-going testing efforts to help ensure that Oregon Dungeness crab are of excellent quality and safe to consume.
Testing will continue to determine if the season should open Dec. 31, be further delayed or be split into two areas with different opening dates. In conjunction with the delayed ocean commercial season, commercial harvest of Dungeness crab in Oregon bays is now closed for the remainder of the year.