DFG News Archive

Dungeness Crab Season Now Open

For many along the coast, the holiday season signifies fresh Dungeness crab for the dinner table. For those adventurous folks interested in catching their own, the sport fishery for Dungeness crab is now open statewide to licensed fishermen.

Dungeness crabs are caught from the Oregon border to near Avila in San Luis Obispo County most commonly in waters ranging from the intertidal zone to a depth of about 300 feet. The season for the tasty crustaceans opened from Sonoma County south on Nov. 6, and is scheduled to run through June 30, 2005. For Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino counties, the fishery opened on Nov. 27, and is scheduled to run through July 30, 2005.

The sport fishery for Dungeness crabs allows the daily take and possession of both male and female crabs either by crab traps or by hand. All legal crabs must measure at least 5 ¾ inches across the body shell, directly in front of the most prominent spines, called the “lateral spines.” Every person taking Dungeness crab is required by law to carry an accurate measuring device.

Dungeness crab may not be taken or possessed in San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay, plus all their tidal bays, sloughs and estuaries between the Golden Gate Bridge and Carquinez Bridge.

For more information on Dungeness crabs, tips on how to identify them, regulations, and diagrams showing the proper way to measure a Dungeness crab, please go to http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/dungeness.html.