PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Recreational crabbing has been closed from Tillamook Head all the way down to the California border, officials say.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the immediate closure due to elevated levels of domoic acid. This includes Dungeness and red rock crabs harvested in estuaries, bays, off docks, piers, jetties and the ocean.
“Elevated domoic acid levels were found in the viscera of Dungeness crab collected between Cascade Head and Cape Falcon, triggering a biotoxin closure,” ODFW said. “The remaining areas of the coastline are being closed out of precaution while more samples are being processed.”
Additional samples will be used to determine if areas can be reopened and if this closure will include commercial crabbing, scheduled to begin on December 1, officials said.
