T he C olumbia P ress
January 26, 2018
Valuable Dungeness crab fishery finally under way
Oregon’s most valuable com-
mercial fishery -- Dungeness
crab -- got under way this
week.
This year’s opening was de-
layed from its target start of
Dec. 1 because the crab on
some parts of the Pacific were
too spindly.
The goal is 23 to 25 percent
meat, or 9 to 10 ounces of
crab meat for every crustacion
weighing 2 ½ pounds.
Dungeness crab have been
harvested commercially along
the Pacific Coast since the late
1800s. Current regulations
allow only male crabs larger
than 6 ¼ inches across the
back of the shell to be taken.
This protects the female and
undersized males, which con-
stitute the breeding popula-
tion and produce the next gen-
eration of crab to be harvested,
ensuring the sustainability of
Public Safety Calls
Continued from Page 2
10:23 a.m. Jan. 18, 600 block
Northwest 13 Street.
• Male with possible stroke, 12:31
p.m. Jan. 19, 33200 block Bi
Water Lane.
• Male having chest pains, 5:20
p.m. Jan. 19, 1600 block North-
west Warrenton Drive.
• Male having difficulty breath-
ing, 7:02 p.m. Jan. 18, 1600
block Northwest Warrenton
Drive.
• Female with chest pain, 1:21
a.m. Jan. 20, 500 block South-
west First Street.
• Female feeling sick, 6:54 p.m.
Jan. 20, 1100 block Northwest
Warrenton Drive.
• Female having difficulty breath-
ing, 8:01 p.m. Jan. 20, 100 block
Southwest Cedar Avenue.
• Male with difficulty breathing,
9:24 p.m. Jan. 20, 100 block
Southeast 14 Place.
• Female in and out of conscious-
ness, 12:13 a.m. Jan. 21, 90900
block South Highway 101.
• Catatonic female, 2:59 p.m.
Jan. 21, 33200 block Sunset
Beach Lane.
3
State and county voters turn
out in favor of Measure 101
The Columbia Press
Tim Novotny/Courtesy ODFW
A crabbing boat prepares to head out from Charleston Port
in Coos Bay on Monday.
the overall stock and industry.
The regulatory approach is
working, according to the Or-
egon Department of Fish and
Wildlife.
Last season’s average price
set a record of $62.7 million,
with landings totaling 20 mil-
lion pounds, 22 percent above
the 10-year average.
Vessels returning to Newport
had the most pounds of crab
landed last year, followed by
Astoria and Coos Bay. A little
over 300 fishing boats bring
crab into Oregon each season.
The industry is an important
economic driver in Oregon’s
coastal towns.
Since 2014, the state has run
a derelict gear-removal pro-
gram collecting abandoned
crab pots and other equip-
ment.
“We’re looking forward to
many more years of a success-
ful commercial crab industry
and sustainable resource in
Oregon,” said Troy Buell, of
ODFW’s state fishery program.
Oregon voters overwhelm-
ingly approved Measure 101,
which keeps Oregon’s Med-
icaid program fully funded.
Clatsop County’s voters
approved the measure by 65
percent.
“On behalf of our patients
and the communities we
serve, Oregon’s hospitals
are deeply gratified by the
passage of Measure 101,”
said Andy Davidson, presi-
dent of the Oregon Associa-
tion of Hospitals and Health
Systems.
“(The) vote is critical af-
firmation of our collective
belief that Oregon is better
off with a robust Medicaid
program that tends to the
needs of patients before,
during and after an illness
or the birth of a child. … We
are proud to have been an
integral partner in fighting
for these patients and their
families.”
Hospitals have been long-
time advocates for the Or-
egon Health Plan, working
with the Legislature to de-
velop funding solutions to
ensure coverage for as many
Oregonians as possible.
Those opposed contend
it’s a fairness issue.
They say Gov. Brown and
Oregon’s elected leaders
chose to cover a shortfall
in Medicaid funding by im-
posing a tax on the premi-
ums that only some (small
businesses, school districts,
nonprofit groups and oth-
ers) pay for health care,
while other groups – se-
niors, veterans and people
working for self-insured
companies -- do not share
the burden.
Measure 101 was the only
issue on Tuesday’s special
election ballot. It will raise
$210 million to $320 mil-
lion in taxes by 2019.
Had the measure failed,
the Legislature would have
had to find new funding to
cover the shortfall.
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