Author Archives: flatherc

Winter is crab season on the Oregon Coast!

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Dungeness crab have been commercially harvested on the West Coast for more than 150 years. Today this fishery is considered the most valuable single species commercial fishery in Oregon with an average value of $32.5 million .

The ocean crab season along the Oregon coast typically begins on December 1st and continues through August, although the majority of the harvest occurs during the first eight weeks of the season.

During the peak of the Dungeness crab harvest fresh crab is readily available at supermarket seafood counters and specialty seafood markets up and down the coast. Click here to find fresh crab near you!

You can also try your hand at harvesting Dungeness crab year round on the Oregon Coast. Crabbing requires minimal gear that is often available for rent in coastal towns and can be done from a boat or dockside. Try it today!

Don’t forget to check the current dates and fees for the South Coast’s Annual Charleston Crab Feed in February. You will be glad you did!

Bay clams

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Clamming is a fun family activity.

Oregon estuaries are rich with many species of clams, although only a few of these species are commonly harvested. Gaper, butter, cockle, littleneck, and softshell clams are primarily harvested due to their abundance, size, and taste.

A wide variety of other bivalve species are found in Oregon estuaries, but are not commonly harvested due either to their scarcity or lack of palatability.

Tools

Clamming is a great family activity and you can get started with tools you already have in the garden.  Successful clamming does require some knowledge and preparation.

Preparation

Before clamming, harvesters should be aware of weather, regulations, closures, responsible harvest, and techniques. This video produced by Travel Oregon provides important information about how to clam in Oregon.

The Northern Elephant Seal

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Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris)

Dozens of different species of marine mammals can be found off Oregon’s Coast. Perhaps one of the most distinctive to make its way on shore is the Northern Elephant Seal, the largest pinniped carnivore that occurs along the North Pacific Coast.

This animal gets its name from its size as well as the trunk-like “nose” – known as a proboscis – that is found on males and can be inflated to enhance vocalizations during mating season. Adult female elephant seals can weigh up to 1,700 pounds, and adult males can weigh up to 5,000 pounds!

Unlike other mammals, including humans, that shed hair year-round, elephant seals experience this a one time a year ‘molting.’ They come ashore to shed their first layer of skin and fur. The skin and fur come off in sheets as new skin and fur replace the old.

For a period of time, elephant seals were thought to be extinct after they were killed in large numbers for their blubber. A small group survived off the coast of Mexico.

Thanks to protections in Mexico and the United States, scientists believe there are around 170,000 northern elephant seals today.

Elephant seals do not generally breed in Oregon, but visitors to the South Coast may be fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of one at Cape Arago State Park (near Coos Bay), the only location where elephant seals haul out year round in Oregon.