As the Dungeness crab season wraps up on the Oregon Coast, crabbers are celebrating a good haul.
Fishermen have brought in more than 23 million pounds in the past eight and a half months. That's the fourth time in the past decade that landings have exceeded 20 million pounds. By the time crabbers bring in all of their pots by month's end, some say they expect the total to reach 25 million pounds.
What's been counted so far adds up to $44.5 million earned by Oregon's 429-member crab fleet. The season officially ended Sunday night.
The Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission reports that this is the third-largest season on record in terms of a dollar figure. The ripple effects are estimated at $90 million in economic impact to Oregon's coastal communities.
The catch coming out of Astoria this year was the third largest in the state, weighing in at 4.6 million pounds. Newport had the highest landings at 6.8 million pounds, followed by Charleston with 6.7 million pounds.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Daily Astorian (Astoria, OR).