Crab season gets off to a good start on the Oregon Coast

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Story Published: Dec 3, 2008 at 6:42 PM PDT

By Kristina Nelson KCBY News

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CHARLESTON, Ore. - Crab season is officially in full swing up and down the Oregon coast.

Since Monday, a steady stream of vessels have been making their way in and out of Charleston, and crabbers say the season is off to a good start.

"The crab is looking good in terms of quality," said crabber Gary Schuttpelz.

"The crab are really full. I was talking to a plant worker today and he said he's never seen this kind of quality crab this early in December," said Nick Furman, Executive Director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission.

Crabbers began laying their pots late last week, and the fairly moderate weather allowed most vessels to get out right at the start on Monday.

Furman said most fishermen were hesitant at the start on Monday, after reports from the California season showed not much crab.

While it's still to early to make any strong predictions, based on the first three days in Oregon, Furman said the season will hopefully be a good one.

"We had 12.3 million pounds last year in Oregon. We're expecting close to that amount this year, if not slightly less."

Furman said the excellent quality of the crab will hopefully translate into bigger sales from consumers in markets, even with the downturn in the economy.

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