South coast open for crabbing again

ILWACO — Recreational Dungeness crab fishing along the southern Washington coast has reopened.

The entire Washington coast is open for sport crabbing now after elevated levels of domoic acid caused the state to close fishing. Domoic acid is a naturally occurring marine toxin.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife opened the northern coast in late August, when toxin levels there dropped to safe levels.

Marine toxin levels have continued to decline on the southern coast over the last month, said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager.

Recent tests by the Washington Department of Health show crabs on the southern coast — from Point Chehalis south to the Columbia River — are also safe to eat.

Domoic acid can be harmful or even fatal if consumed in sufficient quantities. Cooking or freezing does not destroy domoic acid in shellfish.

As usual, the use of crab pots is prohibited on the coast through Nov. 30, except in the Columbia River estuary, where pots are allowed year-round, Ayres said. Elsewhere along the coast, crabbers can use other gear, such as ring nets.