The weather has made it difficult for Oregon’s commercial crabbers to get the season started. Pots were placed, and some have been pulled and Dungeness Crab landed with the commencement of the delayed season Monday, Jan. 4, 2016. High levels of a deadly toxin prevented the normal start date in early December. However, the toxin dissipated with the onslaught of winter weather and colder ocean waters. With a green light from the Oregon Agriculture Dept., commercial crabbers have been working through difficult weather, but Hugh Link, executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission in Coos Bay says it is “pretty early to know what volume will be but there seems to be a decent volume on the dock.” The “Lion’s Share” of the annual catch is normally landed in December and January, but the one month delay will push the fleet-wide effort into February this year. The commercial season runs into August.
