Marine Zone

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Crabbing and clamming for nonresidents

Nonresident recreational shellfish harvest closures have been lifted as of Wed, Oct. 7. The April 11 closures to nonresidents were meant to limit visitation and combat the spread of COVID. The temporary rule has expired and will not be renewed.

COVID-19 and Harvesting Shellfish

ODFW recognizes that we are facing extraordinary times and urges all citizens to take extra precautions to keep yourself, your family, and the entire community of Oregon healthy. 

This is the time of year when morning low tides and improving weather typically bring visitors from throughout Oregon and beyond to the coast to harvest clams. Our local bays and ocean also receive many crabbers. We recognize that travel at this time should be done with careful, serious consideration given to your health, and the health of the receiving community. 

Think about these actions in common spaces associated with harvesting fish and shellfish such as docks, piers, beaches, boat ramps, and fish and boat cleaning stations that are open.

Please keep yourself and samplers safe.

ODFW Samplers (aka fish checkers) will be at the docks, piers, and boat launches in a number of locations along the coast. In order to maintain their safety and the angling public we are striving to maintain a minimum of 6 ft. of distance at all times, and the ODFW samplers will be wearing masks. We appreciate your assistance and patience in maintaining the distancing and providing your clams and crab for inspection in a safe manner. 

Thank you for taking the extra efforts that are required at this time!

CRABBING AND CLAMMING UPDATES

BAY CLAMS

During fall and winter, low tides generally occur in the evening. While you can still harvest clams, make sure you are familiar with the area before venturing out on the mudflats in the dark. Stay safe by clamming with a buddy, bringing a light, and keeping an eye on the tide.

Check out the Where to Clam articles for places to find bay clams. You can also get more clamming maps here.

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.

RAZOR CLAMS

The entire Oregon Coast is now closed to razor clamming.

CRABS

Effective Jan. 1, 2020, recreational crabbers must mark all floating surface buoys with a name and other identifying information. See more information in the Regulation updates section above. While this rule does not apply to gear tied to docks, piers, jetties or beaches, we recommend marking buoys on any gear that could become derelict or lost. Find more information here.

Crabbing reports for each bay are not available year-round. As they are available during the year, updates will be posted below.

Many of Oregon’s bays have seen high crabbing effort in recent weeks. Crabbers report moderate catch of hard-shelled crab. The ocean is closed for crabbing from Oct. 16-Nov. 30.

In addition to Dungeness crab, another Oregon native present in some of Oregon’s estuaries is the red rock crab. Look for them in larger bays with jetties and other rocky habitats. Crabbers can retain 24 red rock crabs of any sex or size. There have also been higher numbers of Pacific rock crab in Yaquina Bay. This crab counts as your “Other” shellfish, which has a daily bag limit of 10 in aggregate with other species that fall in this category (see page 82 of the fishing synopsis for more details). While they look very similar to red rock crab, their long antennae and large claws distinguish them; they sometimes have spots on their abdomen.

Some crabbers in estuaries may also encounter non-native European green crab in their catch this year. While they look similar to Oregon’s native shore crabs, identify them by the three prominent bumps between the eyes and 5 spines down the side of the carapace. They are not always green and color is not a good identifying feature. The daily catch limit for European green crab also falls in the “Other shellfish” category and is 10 in aggregate with other species that fall in this category (see page 82 of the fishing synopsis for more details). European green crab can be any size or sex.

MUSSELS

The entire Oregon coast is now open to mussel harvest.

Always check for closures at the ODA Shellfish Safety page before clamming or crabbing. http://ODA.direct/ShellfishClosures.