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Article: Dungeness crab: the harvest is strong and the meat quality is high, but the recession has quelled demand for the crustacean. (Species Focus).
- Article from:
- Seafood Business
- Article date:
- April 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Diversified Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Talk about a turnaround. The 2001-02 West Coast Dungeness crab fishery yielded last season's total catch in less than two months, and the quality of Dungeness crab meat is exceptionally high.
But there's a downside: The economy, although rebounding, is much worse off this season than during the 2000-01 season. Consequently, demand for Dungeness, which consumers deem a luxury, is sluggish, even though prices are down considerably from last year.
Through mid-February, West Coast fishermen had harvested 23.6 million pounds of Dungeness, up from last season's regional total of 21.8 million pounds.
Oregon fishermen had hauled in 11.2 million pounds, ...