(Newport, OR) -- Oregon's commercial Dungeness crab season will open for part of the coast on December 16th. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says the season will open south of Cape Falcon, but will remain closed north into Washington state. The crabs off the Washington Coast need more time to fatten up. Oregon's crab fishery is a major economic driver for coastal communities. The earliest the Washington crab fishery can open is December 31st.