West Coast commercial Dungeness crab season delayed again

The West Coast commercial fishing season for Dungeness crab is being delayed through the rest of the month. That means holiday menus will be planned without the popular Northwest seafood.

Testing in Oregon has determined that crabs in some areas don’t have enough meat. Those tests are continuing to detect elevated levels of the naturally occurring toxin domoic acid, which can make the crabs unsafe to eat.

California and Washington are also delaying their Dungeness seasons until at least Dec. 31. Before Wednesday’s announcement, the states had suggested a commercial Dungeness harvest could begin in mid-December.