Oregon’s 2009-10 Dungeness crab season came to an end on 14 August, and a banner harvest kept processors busy and prices in check.
The state, which represents about one-quarter of the entire West Coast catch, yielded 23.1 million pounds of crab, up some 10 million pounds from last season. It’s the third-largest harvest on record and the fourth time in the past 10 years that landings have exceeded 20 million pounds.
The fishery runs from early December to mid-August, with three-quarters of the catch coming in the first two months of the fishery. But crab is still trickling through the supply chain, as crabbers had until the end of August to bring in all of their pots, so the 2009-10 harvest could easily top 24 million pounds when all is said and done.
Prices, on the other hand, were a bit higher in mid-August than a year ago, reflecting increased demand likely due to an improving economy.
But this season’s strong harvest kept prices from rising significantly. In mid-August, cooked whole crab was quoted in the high-USD 3 to low-USD 4 range for 1 1/2- to 2-pound product and low- to mid-USD 4 range for 2- to 2 1/2-pound product, with ocean-run clusters commanding up to USD 5.50 a pound. That’s about 15 to 30 cents a pound higher than a year ago.
September 16, 2010
