Oregon’s Commercial Crab Season, Jan. 9

Three weeks into this year’s commercial Dungeness Crab Season and the Port of Newport reportedly leads the Oregon Coast in landings. Of the estimated eight-million pounds landed, more than three-million has come into Yaquina Bay. Astoria fishermen are also reporting success. Brookings led the Coast in landings last year with five-million pounds. However, fishermen in Curry County are reporting small harvests and some are already reportedly pulling their pots for the season. Good amounts are also being landed at smaller ports such as Port Orford and Winchester Bay. Newport, Charleston and Astoria are normally the top ports for landings. The season, which began two-weeks late due to immature crabs, runs through the middle of August, but the “Lion’s Share” is normally caught during the months of December and January.