Sponsored story courtesy of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission.

Oregon Dungeness crab, our state’s official crustacean, is a culinary icon of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Oregon Dungeness crab is internationally lauded as a delicacy; its distinctly sweet, succulent flavors are a melt-in-the-mouth hit for chefs and diners alike. 

The journey from ocean to table is hard earned for these eight legged, two clawed critters. Newly hatched crabs stay in a larval stage for up to twelve months. They survive merciless ocean currents and predators to endure six successive stages before resembling a miniature crab. 

Oregon Dungeness crab, an integral part of the Northwest’s seafood heritage, has been harvested commercially since the late 1800s. It takes roughly four years for male crabs to reach legal harvest size (6 ¼-inches across the shell back), while female crabs are never harvested. Protecting the breeding process is vital to the industry.

Oregon Dungeness Crab

Buying Oregon Dungeness crab supports Oregon Coast communities and economies. Local fishers work long, tireless hours, risking their lives and leaving their families behind, to deliver Oregon Dungeness crab to markets and tables. 

Crabs are caught in circular steel traps, commonly called pots, that weigh between 60 and 125 pounds. Each pot has a buoy attached, marked for retrieval. The average boat fishes 200 to 500 pots, and crabs are sorted alive on vessels in circulated seawater until they are delivered to shore-side processing plants before finding their way to restaurants and markets for all to enjoy.