Home
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Hours & Calendar Teachers Membership Donate Now Espanol
Visitor InfoAnimals & ActivitiesSave the OceansFun & Learning
Make a Donation

Seafood Watch

Take Action

News from Julie Packard

Conservation Research

Our Conservation Efforts


Get Updates
Seafood Watch
Seafood
Watch Home Seafood
Recommendations Seafood
Search Pocket
Guides Mobile
Guides Sushi Seafood &
Your Health Chart of
Alternatives
Seafood Search


A-N
O-Z

Abalone
Arctic Char
Barramundi
Basa
Black Sea Bass
Bluefish
Bluenose
Capelin
Catfish
Caviar
Chilean Seabass
Clams
Cobia
Cod
Conch
Corvina
Crab
Crayfish
Croaker
Eel
Flounder
Grenadier
Grouper
Haddock
Hake
Halibut
Herring
Imitation Crab
Lingcod
Lobster
Mackerel
Mahi Mahi
Marlin
Monkfish
Mullet
Mussels

A-N
O-Z

Seafood Watch - Seafood Guide

Crab, Dungeness

© 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. Hardshell Crab, Softshell Crab, Blue-Claw Crab, Kani U.S. Trap
Dungeness Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Market Crab, San Francisco Crab, Pacific Edible Crab, Commercial Crab U.S., Canada 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, Red King Crab, Golden King Crab, Blue King Crab, Kani U.S. Trap
King Crab Avoid: Avoid these products for now. These fish come from sources that are overfished or fished or farmed in ways that harm the environment. King Crab, Red King Crab, Golden King Crab, Blue King Crab, Kani Imported Trap
Kona Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Spanner Crab, Frog Crab Australia Wild-caught
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. Spanner Crab, Frog Crab, Päpa‘i kualoa Hawaii Wild-caught
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. Snow Crab, Tanner Crab, Queen Crab, Spider Crab, Kani Alaska, Canada Wild-caught
Stone Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Gulf Stone Crab, Florida 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, it is closed during the molting season and it has strict limits on minimum size. This comprehensive management approach protects and sustains future populations.

Summary

The Dungeness crabs is native to the Pacific coast with commercial fisheries ranging 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. Fishermen may not take female or soft-shelled (molting) crabs cannot be taken by any of the Dungeness crab fisheries and fishing seasons are scheduled to avoid the crabs' primary molting season. This well-crafted management approach has maintained population health and abundance over the past 50 years.

Scientific Reports About Our Ratings
Seafood Watch Card Print a pocket-size Seafood Watch guide to take with you.
Download a guide now
Mobile phone users log on to mobile.seafoodwatch.org.

iPhone and iPhone touch users, you can get the most up-to-date Seafood Watch recommendations on your iPhone or iPod touch.

How fish are caught or farmed makes a difference.
Learn more
 Fishing boat

 
Celebrating 25 Years of Ocean Conservation
© 1999-2010, Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940 Tel: (831) 648-4800
Pressroom  |  Plan an Event  |  Jobs  |  Volunteer  |  About Us  |  Contact Us  |  Site Map  |  Privacy  |  Terms




www.montereybayaquarium.org
886 Cannery Row | Monterey, California 93940
Open every day except Dec. 25
Regular hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Winter: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Summer/holidays: 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Summer weekends: 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
More information: (831) 648-4800