People missed out on having Oregon Dungeness Crab at their holiday tables. But after more than a month’s delay, the state’s crab season is set to begin January 4th.
The industry has set an opening price of $2.90 per pound for the tasty crustaceans.
It’s the 2nd highest ever set for a season opener in Oregon. Hugh Link with state’s Dungeness Crab Commission says that’s good news for crab fishers.
“That pretty much gets the gear in the water and allows a good safe start. We get our pre-soak, which is 73 hours. We’ll drop our gear at 8 a.m. January 1st and pick it up on January 4th at 9 a.m.”
The season was delayed from its traditional December 1st date because domoic acid was found in crab off Oregon’s south coast. Link says the last three tests on crab found levels below the threshold of concern. Dungeness crab is the most valuable commercial fishery in Oregon.
