Individual Fisheries
Crab harvests in 2023 were 37.2 million pounds versus 4.9 million pounds in 2022. Typically, the crab season begins in December, with most of the catch occurring at the beginning of the season. Because the crab season in Oregon didn’t fully open until February 1, 2023, 2022’s crab harvest was incredibly low compared with historical trends. On the other hand, 2023’s crab harvest was twice as large as the previous five-year average of 18.3 million pounds. Unfortunately, low crab prices hurt the overall revenue of the industry, resulting in a total revenue of $104 million. The average landed price per pound for Dungeness crab was $2.80 in 2023, the lowest seen since 2013’s $2.74.
Salmon landings fell 18% in 2023, to 1.7 million pounds. This was more than the previous five-year average of 1.4 million pounds, but below the average of the 2000s and 2010s. The average price declined as well, leading to a decrease in total landed value of 32% to $5.2 million. The long-term trend of low levels of salmon harvest continued in 2023, and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce issued a disaster declaration for the 2023 Oregon ocean troll salmon fishery.
The pink shrimp harvest was 44 million pounds in 2023, an increase of 7% from 2022, and above the average of the previous five years. Unfortunately, shrimp prices fell to 42 cents per pound in 2023, their lowest level since 2010. Even with the higher landings, the overall revenue was essentially unchanged from 2022 at $18.7 million. Oregon pink shrimp was certified as a sustainable fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council in 2007 and reassessed as sustainable in 2011.
The amount of whiting landed fell for the fourth year in a row, dropping 3.7% in 2023 to 164 million pounds. Whiting accounted for 60% by weight of all wild seafood landed in Oregon, but it has a low value. The price, 9 cents per pound, was equal to the five-year average leading to a total landed value for this fishery of $14.9 million. Much of Oregon’s whiting is made into surimi for use in making artificial crab meat, while the carcasses are used to make fishmeal.The value of groundfish landed, pacific whiting excluded, decreased 13% in 2023 to $26.3 million.
This represented a total landing weight of 47.7 million pounds, a decrease of 4.7% from 2022. The average price fell five cents to 55 cents per pound.The albacore tuna harvest declined in 2023 to its lowest level since the early 2000s. Just 2.45 million pounds of albacore were landed in Oregon in 2023, the lowest volume since 1991. Prices also dropped, averaging $1.44 in 2023 leading to a total revenue of $3.5 million.Smaller fisheries also had some changes. Pacific halibut landings totaled $1.6 million with a weight of nearly 269,000 pounds. Razor clams decreased from a peak in 2022 to 18,000 pounds harvested in 2023 with a value of $235,000.
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