Oregon's Dungeness Crab Fishery

Did you know that the Dungeness crab fishery is considered the most valuable single-species fishery in all of Oregon?

Did you know that the Dungeness crab fishery is considered the most valuable single-species fishery in all of Oregon? In fact, Newport, Oregon is trademarked as the Dungeness Crab Capital of the World, landing more Dungeness crab each year than anywhere else on the planet! In recent years, I have learned A LOT about this industry, met many crab fisherman, and gained a much deeper appreciation for this species and all those involved in this industry. I think it’s something all Oregonians should have some knowledge about and something worth being very proud of! Let's explore a little bit about Dungeness crabs as a species, commercial crabbing regulations, sustainability, and the major significance this industry has to our coastal communities. 

To start, let’s talk a little about general crab biology and ecology.

Dungeness Crabs are crustaceans, further classified as arthropods, just like spiders and insects, essentially making them a big sea bug! Crustaceans are characterized by having a hard exterior shell, called an exoskeleton, as well as a segmented body plan. Because of this hard exoskeleton, as they grow, crustaceans have to molt, or shed, their shells. For crabs, this process looks as if they are sliding out of the back of their shell, almost like they are taking off a t-shirt. Once molted, their “new” shell will be relatively soft as they mature and grow into the new outfit; for Dungeness, the new outfit can be about an inch wider than the last. 

Crabs are found all over the globe, in both fresh and marine environments, from the shallow intertidal to the deepest darkest parts of the ocean. They range in size from itty bitty pea crab which is the size of a dime and lives inside of clams and shellfish, to the largest crab species, the Japanese Spider crab which has been seen at lengths of 13 feet across! 

Dungeness crabs are characterized by their purplish brown shell, white tipped claws, and 10 spines on either side of their carapace. The largest Dungeness crab ever found was 10 inches across! Dungeness crabs’ native range is from Alaska to Central California, near Santa Barbara. Though sometimes they are found further south towards Baja. Oregon is in the middle of this range, which makes it a very abundant zone for Dungeness, and gives way to our most valuable single-species fishery.

So what determines the start of the commercial Dungeness crab season in Oregon?