Recreational crabbing is now open along the entire Oregon coast, from Washington to California. That announcement was made Thursday by the Oregon Department of Agriculture and state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Last month, the state closed crabbing between Bandon and the California border due to elevated levels of the marine biotoxin domoic acid.
The clearance includes the ocean, bays and estuaries, and on beaches, docks, piers and jetties. ODA says it’s always recommended that crab be eviscerated and the guts removed prior to cooking, which includes the removal and discard of the viscera, internal organs and gills. Toxins cannot be removed by cooking, freezing or any other treatment.
ODA will continue to test for biotoxins in the coming weeks. For more information call Oregon Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) shellfish biotoxin safety hotline at (800) 448-2474, the Food Safety Division at (503) 986-4720, or visit the ODA Recreational Shellfish Website.
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