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Seafood Watch - Seafood Guide

Dungeness Crab

© Monterey Bay Aquarium
SEAFOODRATINGMARKET NAMESWHERE CAUGHTHOW CAUGHT
Blue Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Blue-Claw Crab, Hardshell Crab, Kani, Softshell Crab U.S. Pot
Blue Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Blue-Claw Crab, Hardshell Crab, Kani, Softshell Crab U.S. Chesapeake Bay Trotline
Dungeness Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Commercial Crab, Market Crab, Pacific Edible Crab, San Francisco Crab Alaska Trap
Dungeness Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Commercial Crab, Market Crab, Pacific Edible Crab, San Francisco Crab California, Oregon, Washington Trap
Jonah Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Atlantic Dungeness Crab U.S. Atlantic Wild-caught
King Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Alaska King Crab, Blue King Crab, Golden King Crab, Kani, Red King Crab U.S. Trap
King Crab, Red Avoid: Avoid these products for now. These fish come from sources that are overfished or fished or farmed in ways that harm the environment. Blue King Crab, Golden King Crab, Kani, King Crab, Red King Crab Russia Trap
King Crab, Southern Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. King Crab, Southern Red King Crab, Centolla Argentina Pot,Trap
Kona Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Frog Crab, Papa'i kualoa, Spanner Crab Hawaii Wild-caught
Kona Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Frog Crab, Spanner Crab Australia Wild-caught
Snow Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Kani, Queen Crab, Snow Crab, Spider Crab, Tanner Crab Eastern Bering Sea, U.S. Pot, Trap
Snow Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Kani, Queen Crab, Snow Crab, Spider Crab, Tanner Crab Eastern Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada Pot, Trap
Snow Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Kani, Queen Crab, Snow Crab, Spider Crab, Tanner Crab Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada Pot, Trap
Stone Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Florida Stone Crab, Gulf Stone Crab U.S. Atlantic, U.S. Gulf of Mexico Trap


Dungeness Crab

The Dungeness crab fishery is well-managed. It only takes male crabs, is closed during the molting season and has strict limits on minimum size. This comprehensive management approach protects and sustains future populations.

The Oregon fishery for Dungeness crab is certified as sustainable to the standard of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

Summary

The Dungeness crab is native to the Pacific coast with commercial fisheries from Alaska to Point Conception, California. It's caught with traps, a method considered eco-friendly because fishermen can release undersized crabs and other bycatch mostly unharmed.

Dungeness crab fisheries are managed under the "3-S" principle: size, sex, and season. Only mature male crabs of at least 6-1/4 inches are allowed to be landed. This ensures males reach sexual maturity and are able to mate for one to two years before being caught. Female or soft-shelled (molting) crabs cannot be taken and fishing seasons are scheduled to avoid the crabs' primary molting season.

In California, Oregon and Washington, this well-crafted management approach has maintained population health and abundance over the past 50 years. In Alaska, however, less robust management practices have resulted in the collapse of Dungeness crab populations in several areas.

As a result, Dungeness crab from Alaska is a "Good Alternative," while Dungeness crab from California, Oregon and Washington is a "Best Choice."

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