Oregon’s Dungeness Crab Fishery Now Open Through Aug. 14
Oregon’s multi-million dollar commercial Dungeness crab fishery is scheduled to run through Aug. 14, barring any emergency closures, after a late start prompted by pre-season testing that showed the crab were insufficient in meat yield to open before Jan. 15.
Tests showed that the crab were too low in meat yield in four regions, and domoic acid was elevated in crab viscera (internal organs) in two areas of the south coast, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).
Domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin found in shellfish, also known as amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), can cause a range of symptoms from vomiting and abdominal cramps to seizures and coma.
Last year’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery paid over $90 million in ex-vessel value to harvesters, according to Justin Ainsworth, marine resources program manager for ODFW, in Newport, Ore.
While there are some 424 harvesters holding permits for the fishery, only an average of 315 of those permits are usually used, Ainsworth said. The fishery, which dates back to the early 1900s, typically runs only until it is economically viable for the harvesters, he said.
The catch is limited to male Dungeness crab with a minimal carapace of six and one-fourth inches.
Landing volumes were up in calendar year 2023, partially due to the 2022-2023 season opening being delayed until January/February 2023, and the 2023-2024 season having partial openings in December 2023.
The 2022-2023 season resulted in $85.5 million in harvest value, with a lower price of $2.70 per pound, and landings totaling 31.7 million pounds, up from 17.2 million pounds for the 2021-2022 season, according to Fish and Wildlife.
In 2021, Oregon Dungeness crab accounted for 31% of the harvest value of all U.S. West Coast, Alaska and British Columbia landings. The Dungeness crab fishery generated $231.8 million in income at the statewide level and $195.3 million at the coastwide level, including direct, indirect and induced impacts, incorporating multiplier effects, according to ODFW.
The season typically runs from December through August, so the December 2022-August 2023 season is referred to as the 2022-2023 season, Ainsworth said.
The Dungeness crab fishery supported 3,319 jobs at the statewide level and 3,534 jobs at the coastwide level in 2021, according to ODFW.
Source: https://fishermensnews.com/oregons-dungeness-crab-fishery-now-open-through-aug-14/
