The summer crab fishery closure off the southern coast due to a rise in marine toxin levels has now spread further north to the Queets River.
State Fish and Wildlife announced an immediate closure to sport and commercial crab fishing along 90 miles of coast line from Columbia River north to the Queets River.
There are also bays and estuaries now closed for crab fishing inside the Columbia River, Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor.
“Ongoing testing shows that crab in these waters have domoic acid levels that exceed health-safety standards,” Dan Ayres, the head state Fish and Wildlife coastal shellfish manager said in a news release.