Dungeness Crab Season Delayed

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – Traditional Christmas feasts featuring Dungeness crab may not be in the cards this year as officials have delayed the commercial crabbing season due to the small size of the crustaceans.

The Mail Tribune reports that the season had been set to start Dec. 1 for Oregon’s most lucrative commercial fishery, but now crabbing has been postponed until at least Dec. 16.

It’s the sixth straight year the season has been delayed to allow the Dungeness crabs a chance to fatten up to meet industry standards.

Dungeness crabs off the coasts of Washington and California also have low meat levels in their shells, prompting similar delays in those states.

Tests planned for late November or early December will determine whether commercial crabbers can start plying the Pacific beginning Dec. 16.
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Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/