The commercial Dungeness crab season is being delayed once again in Oregon. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife says the opening will be delayed until at least December 31 to allow the crabs to fill with more meat.
Troy Buell, the state fishery manager for ODFW, said the traditional opening date of December 1 st has been delayed for six of the past seven years. “Our criteria for testing the crab and the standards that they have to meet have strengthened over time, and that’s one of the reasons we’ve had more delays in recent years than people might remember from a decade or two ago," he said.
The commercial Dungeness season lasts until August, but Buell said the bulk of the crabs are harvested within the first few months.
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