After six-week delay, Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crabbing season now open

Published 9:32 am Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Dungeness crab is the most valuable single-species fishery commodity in Oregon. In the 2021-22 season, the fishing industry harvested more than 17 million pounds of crab, bringing in an eye-popping $91.5 million.

But it’s not always like that. This year’s season opened six weeks later than anticipated, on Sunday, Jan. 15. According to the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, average annual landings are around 16 million pounds. But recent harvests have fluctuated from a low of 3.2 million pounds all the way to a record high of 33 million pounds.

And the harvest could be facing additional challenges from the ongoing climate crisis.

Oregon Public Broadcasting is a partner of the Pamplin Media Group. Read the full story here.