UPDATED 10/30: The State is doing a few more tests before the season is open or closed for sure. They have until Monday or Tuesday to make a difficult decision and they will probably use all he time they have available. It does seem, however, that if there is concern over the safety of crab then they maybe ought to close the reds, since people do eat those, too.
Dungeness season is around the corner and the warm water conditions this year have affected them as well. A plankton bloom has produced something called domoic acid which doesn't affect fish and invertebrates but can kill warm-blooded animals like seals, birds and us. A mild case of poisoning causes a case of weeklong "intestinal distress", medium poisoning can give you a permanent loss of short-term memory, and a bad case kills you. That said, the testing that has taken place puts the Dungeness in this area barely in the OK column. The rules are that if half or less of the crabs test below the danger level then they are OK. Half of the crabs tested from the Bodega Bay area tested slightly above the level and half were slightly below. That wind that blew this past summer and frustrated a lot of fishermen kept the water cool enough to prevent a worse case, at least. FYI, the domoic acid tends to concentrate more in the crab's guts, so you folks that like to eat the "butter" maybe better pass on it this year. Try real butter; it's better for you. How often are you going to hear that? There is still some of the toxin in the meat, though, so don't think this makes them safe. It may reduce your exposure, I usually clean my crab before cooking them and I think that I will continue to do that. The red crab are eating a lot of the same things as the Dungeness, and lots of people have been eating the reds, as far as I know without injury, so it seems like the Dungeness should be OK. The season will open but with an asterisk from the Department of Public Health.