Posted on 07/15/2005 9:42:07 AM PDT by nickcarraway
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — With four weeks left in the season, Oregon fishermen have brought in 33.3 million pounds of Dungeness crab, breaking last season's record harvest by about 10 million pounds.
"It's off the charts," said Nick Furman, executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission.
Furman said the catch will put about $50 million into the pockets of Oregon's commercial fishermen. Spinoffs from harvesting, processing, marketing and other activities could mean $150 million in economic benefits for Oregon, he said.
Last season, fishermen netted 23.7 million pounds, breaking a record which had stood for 24 years. To have two big seasons in a row is unusual — large harvests are typically followed by much smaller harvests.
"The year before was unprecedented, and to have this on top of that is just incredible," said Dean Fleck, a manager with Newport's Englund Marine Supply, which sells commercial fishing gear.
Mitch Vance, head of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's shellfish program, told the Statesman Journal newspaper that no one knows why Oregon's had two straight boom years. The process is "very dynamic and relatively unknown," he said.
Sometimes big harvests are a bane to fisherman because they bring down prices. But there have been few complaints in the industry this season because the harvest is so bountiful.
"We're under the gun to process as much crab as possible," said Scott Adams, plant manager at the Hallmark Fisheries seafood processing plant in Charleston.
Some 375 commercial fishing permit holders take part in the Dungeness crab harvest, which starts in December and closes in mid-August.
Prices paid to crab fishermen start low then rise as the season goes on. This season, prices started at $1.45 per pound and currently are in the range of $2 to $2.25 per pound. In past years, the price has been as high as $3.25 per pound.
As no one has said it yet, I will.
IT'S BUSH'S FAULT.
Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit. So we aren't running out of fish now? What the heck is left for the gloomsters? Pop growth has peaked and is falling in most countries; we keep finding new oil; the terrorists are dying in droves. Dammit. I was counting on running out of fish, too.
Yes. Clearly global warming is to blame. If we don't ban cars, the crabs will take over.
Hhhhhmmmmm.....love Dungeness....dripping in drawn butter....
Oops, these are crabs not fish.:)
Oh, my God! The horror! They are even CLOSER to the coastline, making it even easier to "harvest" them. And the harvest is UP? Noooooooo!!!
SEND SOME TO COLORADO!
MMMMMMMMMMUUUUUMMMM - dungenesss crab. If the crab netter only gets $2.00 a pound - why does Shells Restuarant charge us $21.95 for a pound and a half??
record crab and record salmon in Alaska, what is happening? Of course now that farm raised salmon is less expensive, the wild salmon is not even being caught and sold. So next year there will be even more and the bears will be fat as bears. /happy to see good results rant off.
Fat bears???? oh, god. It gets worse.
Yes, I imagine they will be :0)
Crab Louie, Crab Cakes, Roasted Crabs, crab salad, crab tacos, crabs egg benedict
they were sure good and cheap back in the spring
Don't forget crab omelettes ~ Gracie's Sea Hag in Depoe Bay has worlds the best!
Yep ~ GWB is to blame for this debacle. :):):)
Nice in the short-term, but haven't they learned anything from other over-fishing disasters?
I love the crab harvest! Yum, crab!
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