The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announce that recreational and commercial crabbing is now open from Cape Blanco, north of Port Orford, to the California border. Crab samples taken from the area indicate that levels of the marine biotoxin domoic acid have dropped below the alert level. As a result, the entire Oregon coast is now open for recreational and commercial crabbing, free of restrictions.

For commercial crabbing, ODA and ODFW have lifted the requirement that all crab harvested from Cape Blanco to the California border be eviscerated (gutted).

It is still always recommended that crab be eviscerated and the guts or butter discarded prior to cooking. When whole crab are cooked in liquid, domoic acid may leach into the cooking liquid. It is recommended to discard the cooking liquid, and do not use it in other dishes, such as sauces, broths, soups, roux, etc. The consumption of crab viscera is also not recommended.

ODA and ODFW will continue monitoring marine toxins in crab and shellfish to ensure that the concentrations remain below the alert level.

For more information, call ODA’s shellfish safety information hotline at (800) 448-2474 or visit the ODA shellfish closures web page at oda.direct/ShellfishClosures.