The Oregon coast from the Columbia River to Cape Blanco is now open to razor clamming. 4./12/19
Beginning April 16, 2019, all sturgeon fishing, including catch-and-release will be prohibited.
Marine Zone
Regulation updates as of April 12, 2019
These are in-season regulation changes adopted on a temporary or emergency basis. Please see e-regulations for permanent regulations.
DUNGENESS CRAB
- Recreational crabbing is now open along the entire Oregon coast, including the ocean, bays and estuaries, and on beaches, docks, piers, and jetties.
- For recreational crab harvesters, it is recommended that crab always be eviscerated prior to cooking, which includes removal and discard of the viscera, internal organs, and gills.
- Because of Oregon’s precautionary management of biotoxins, the crab and shellfish products currently being sold in retail markets and restaurants are safe for consumers.
- Before clamming or crabbing, call ODA’s shellfish safety information hotline at (800) 448-2474 or visit the ODA shellfish closures web page at: http://ODA.direct/ShellfishClosures
- The consumption of crab viscera is not recommended.
RAZOR CLAMS
- Razor clamming is now OPEN from the Columbia River to Cape Blanco (includes Clatsop County beaches).
- Recreational razor clamming is also CLOSED from Cape Blanco to the California border due to elevated levels of domoic acid toxin.
MUSSELS
The entire Oregon coast is now open for mussel harvest.
RAZOR CLAMS
The area along the Central Coast is open (see ODA for closure alerts) and holds many small populations of razor clams. Diggers have been able to harvest limits on some specific sandbars, but until the beaches build up through the spring, the flat sandy areas with a good abundance of clams will be accessible only at tide levels well below 0.0.
BAY CLAMS
Bay clamming is open along the entire Oregon Coast from the Columbia River to the California border. Check out the Where to Clam articles for places to find them. Low tides will generally start occurring during daylight hours as spring progresses.
Always call the ODA shellfish safety hotline at 1-800-448-2474 or ODA shellfish closures website before harvesting for the most current information about shellfish safety closures.
CRAB
Crabbing in the Coos Bay estuary and lower Coquille estuary have been limited. Crabbing by boat and setting pots near the jetties yields the most crab. Dock crabbers are picking up some legal Dungeness crabs on the docks at Weber’s Pier in Bandon.
Central coast crabbing in Alsea and Yaquina bays has been moderately good, especially by boat.
In addition to Dungeness crab, another Oregon native present in some of Oregon’s estuaries is the red rock crab. Crabbers can retain 24 red rock crabs of any sex or size. Some crabbers in estuaries may encounter non-native European green crab in their catch this year. While they look similar to Oregon’s native shore crabs, they can be identified by the three prominent bumps between the eyes and 5 spines down the side of the carapace. The daily catch limit for European green crab is 10 crab of any size or sex.