Crabbing season faces new delays

Published 4:36 pm Wednesday, December 10, 2025

North Coast crabbing season to stay closed until at least Dec. 31

On Friday, Dec. 5, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced delays to the North Coast commercial Dungeness crab season until at least Wednesday, Dec. 31, citing Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife meat fill test results.

According to an ODFW press release issued on Dec. 5, the commercial season will be open from Cape Falcon to the California border on Dec. 16. The North Coast’s season will remain closed until at least Dec. 31.

“The crabs in Oregon were good north of Cape Falcon,” said Rob Seitz, a local fisherman, “but the ones just north of the river in Washington didn’t quite make it.”

The meat fill test is done to ensure that the crabs have enough meat to meet consumer standards, and to keep the ecosystem healthy, according to ODFW. The required meat recovery percentage is 23%; Long Beach crabs only had a meat fill rate of 22.5%.

The decision to only open Cape Falcon to the California border allows crabbers to ensure that their product is of consistent quality.

“It’s better to have a little buffer zone so that all the crab coming in is good,” said Seitz.

Delays are common according to Mike Haggren, who has spent 62 years in the commercial fishing industry, and now operates a fleet of four vessels.

“It’s just something that we have to deal with each year,” said Haggren, “you have to be ready to go on Dec. 1, but you might not go until Jan. 15.”

Haggren said “the worst possible opening is a Dec. 15 opening” because “you don’t get Christmas off — because you have to be there — you have to be fishing.”

Because of the delays, Haggren believes that the season should be moved to Jan. 1, but he recognizes that consumers want seafood for the holidays.

The ODFW said that “crab will be available for the holiday season.”

When the season opens, a fleet advisory will be in place warning vessels not to place crabbing gear in areas often transited by whales.

Whale entanglements can have grave consequences for the fleet.

“If they tangle some whales, they close the fishery down,” said Haggren. “That would be disastrous for the industry.”

According to Haggren, three whale entanglements in 2025 have forced the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to delay their season until the new year.

“You had three whales entangled in 2025 and so they have to keep it closed to Jan. 1 to get a new start,” said Haggren. “Honestly, in my opinion, it’s a made-up problem. It’s just a problem the environmentalists have brought on,” said Haggren.

Recently, a whale was euthanized in Yachats on Nov. 15 after becoming entangled in crabbing gear from the 2023-24 season.