January 5, 2022 — A group of crabbers on the Oregon Coast is pushing back on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s decision to continue to delay the commercial Dungeness crab season.
While the season, one of Oregon’s most valuable fisheries, is traditionally scheduled to open Dec. 1, delays — based on several different factors — have been common in recent years.
The state has postponed opening day three times this season. On Dec. 22, the state announced that the season would start no sooner than Jan. 15, citing preseason testing that showed low meat yield on the southern and northern coasts. The state also pointed to elevated domoic acid in some crab viscera.
On Tuesday, in a letter to Caren Braby, a marine resources program manager for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, over 20 crabbers — many from Newport and Garibaldi — criticized the state’s decision making and called for opening the fishery in areas where thresholds have been met.
The crabbers, who state that they all own or operate a small commercial vessel, claim that the decision to repeatedly delay the season has “caused severe hardship on multiple fronts.”
The letter points to economic losses and dangerous fishing conditions during January and February, as well as impacts to consumers and potential ecological risks.