LONG BEACH — Dungeness crab in the Long Beach area are putting on meat at a good rate and ought to be ready for harvest in early December — barring problems with marine toxins like those that delayed the season last year.
Testing completed Oct. 30 found a meat recovery rate of 23 percent off the Long Beach Peninsula and 22.9 percent off Westport. All areas must be at or above 23 percent before a season can commence under terms of the Tri-State protocol that governs crabbing in the waters of Washington, Oregon and California.
Crab also are hardening at a good pace, with 47 percent of Long Beach specimens in the highest 1A shell grade and another 27.3 percent grade 1B. The balance of 25.7 percent were shell grade II.
Off Westport, 42.5 percent were 1A, 44.4 percent were 1B and 13 percent were grade II. Grade II crab are unmarketable, meaning there was some flex in both body and legs. No south Washington crab were in the poorest category of Grade III.
Standard WDFW coastal Dungeness crab testing fishing protocol was followed to achieve the October results, except that due to poor weather the Long Beach gear soaked for 7 days. Crabs were collected from three stations at each area; strings of pots were set at 15, 30, and 45 fathoms at each station. All legal sized male crab caught were included in the meat recovery sample. While aboard the charter vessels, WDFW staff collected shell condition data from the same crab collected from all depths and stations.
Only WDFW exercised the option per the Tri-State Agreement with Oregon and California to conduct an October test.
The first required round of testing per the Tri-State Agreement will be completed by mid-November. WDFW expects to include northern Washington test stations at that time. Tests will also be conducted during the same period in Oregon and California.
Harvesting crab before they are at their best results in a lower price. This has a major impact on profits for the entire season, since around three-quarters of crab are caught in each season’s opening weeks.
Dungeness crab typically are the most valuable fishery in Washington and Oregon.
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