The status of shellfish in Willapa Bay is unfortunately still looking dismal for the recreational fisher, as most shellfish such as crab and razor clams have been determined to be dangerous for consumption along with butter clams and oysters, but you will still be able to have crab on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
The commercial crabbing season has been pushed back to December 1 due to domoic acid levels being too high, except for the Quinault crab fishery's.
There are areas in Washington state where the crab's domoic acid levels are currently testing to be safe for consumption.
Mike Cornman of Merino's Seafood Market Retail in Westport talked to the Willapa Harbor Herald. "The coast is clear now and the Quinault tribal fisheries are in place and we are receiving crab currently. Razor Clams are still closed, the domoic acid shows up in higher concentrations. The reason the crabs get it is because they eat razor clams, so it's in their guts and not their meat. So as soon as the domoic acid clears out of the ocean the crab's bodies clean themselves out naturally," said Cornman.
The Quinault Indian Nation has opened it's crab fishery, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife are currently testing the crab and will continue to in order to keep an eye on the levels of domoic acid.
The tribal fishing area is one of few spared by the big toxic algal bloom that has affected the rest of Washington State's shellfish industry.