Photo: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Ask anyone on the Newport bayfront which fishery pays the bills and most will say crab. Dungeness crab is regularly Oregon’s most valuable commercial catch, and Newport is one of the busiest crab ports on the coast.
How the season opens
The commercial ocean season is scheduled to open December 1, but the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife tests crab first. If the crab are too low in meat fill, or if biotoxin testing shows elevated domoic acid, the opening can be pushed back or split by area. A late opening can mean missing the holiday market, which is why delays are watched so closely along the docks.
A limited-entry fleet
Oregon’s crab fishery is limited entry, meaning only boats that hold permits can fish, and each permit carries a cap on the number of pots. The early weeks of the season bring most of the catch, as boats race to pull crab before the grounds are fished down.
Whales and gear
In recent seasons, managers have added rules to reduce the chance that whales get tangled in crab lines, including pot limits and depth restrictions late in the season when humpbacks return. Those rules change from year to year, so the fleet follows each season’s ODFW notices closely.
Money that stays local
Crab dollars move through fuel docks, gear suppliers, processors, mechanics and restaurants. A good season helps carry many Lincoln County businesses through the quiet winter months, and a bad one is felt well beyond the boats.
Marnie Holcomb is the editor and publisher of Oregon Coast Daily News and covers Lincoln County government and community life.
