[ODFW-News] Ocean Dungeness crab season opener delayed

[ODFW News]

For immediate release Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2005
 
Ocean Dungeness crab season opener delayed

NEWPORT - The opening of the ocean commercial Dungeness crab season from
Point Arena, Calif., to the Canadian boarder will be delayed at least
until Dec. 15. Sport harvest of crab in the ocean will also be delayed
until Dec. 15. 

Recreational harvest of Dungeness crab in Oregon's bays and estuaries
will remain open. Commercial harvest of crab in bays and estuaries will
also remain open through Dec. 31. 

The ocean commercial Dungeness crab season along the Oregon coast
normally opens on Dec. 1, but can be delayed to ensure a high-quality
product to consumers. Crab quality testing in November showed the
Columbia River area and areas from Port Orford south to California
experienced a late crab molt. Fishery managers in Oregon, Washington and
California decided to delay the opening at least until Dec. 15 to allow
crab quality to improve. Crab quality testing will continue into
December. 

"The results of the next tests will provide the three states' managers
with more information for setting an appropriate commercial crab season
opening schedule," said Patty Burke, manager of the Marine Resources
Program of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Commercial crab is
managed through a Tri-state process on the West Coast. 

The delayed opening date will give time for the crabs' shells to fill
with more meat. This results in a higher quality product and reduces
wastage. It takes about two to three months for an adult male crab to
fill-out its new shell following molt in the late summer. If the molt is
later in the year, it pushes back the time when crabs are ready to
harvest.

The Dungeness crab fishery is the most valuable single-species fishery
in Oregon. Annual landings in Oregon are between 4 million and 33
million pounds - last year's record catch. Oregon accounts for about
one-fourth of the total catch from northern California to Alaska.
###
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/pipermail/odfw-news/attachments/20051122/b95f64b5/attachment.htm