Willapa Bay blues
Published 1:30 am Monday, January 19, 2026
WILLAPA BAY — On a sunny January afternoon, commercial fisherman Gary Walters maneuvered the F/V Rachel Lynn alongside the hoists at the Port of Peninsula in Nahcotta to offload his catch, a task that typically takes several minutes but this time merely moments.
“It was beautiful weather but the crabbing wasn’t any good,” said Walters, 69, of Chinook, a commercial crabber on Willapa Bay for the past 15 years. “There seems to be less crab here this year. It’s the worst year I’ve seen.”
A total weight of 401 pounds flashed across the digital scale as South Bend Products crew Graesen Flemming and Carlos Hernandez detached the hooks holding the tote of Dungeness crab, caught by Walters after crabbing for around five hours on Willapa Bay with crew Dan Firth and Victor Veelle.
‘There just isn’t any crab’
Less than three weeks into the season, Walters is considering pivoting to other fisheries.
A total of 167,332 pounds has been landed in Willapa Bay as of Jan. 12, according to the latest figures from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. In recent years, Willapa Bay, designated as Catch Area 60C, has accounted for up to 8% of the statewide catch. So far this season, the bay has produced just 4% of the statewide total.
“The price [$4.35 per pound] isn’t bad, there just isn’t any crab,” said Walters, who has been fishing 250 of his allotted 500-pot license, with crew Dan Firth and Victor Veelle. The quality of the crab and the price paid to fishermen from local processors hasn’t been an issue this season.
Walters and crew left the dock at 6 a.m. and returned to offload 401 pounds of crab at 1 p.m., a trip that typically produces several totes equivalent to thousands of pounds of Dungeness. As the crabbing has ebbed, so has the effort.
“We’ve been going about every three days,” Walters said. “It’s not worth going on an overnight trip. We’re not going to be doing it much longer.”
Ocean-based landings
As crab landings have faded in Willapa Bay to start this season, ocean landings have accounted for a higher percentage of the statewide catch.
As in the past, the vast majority of crab came from the fishing-rich waters just west of Long Beach, designated as Catch Area 60A-2, extending approximately from the Columbia River north to Westport. This area accounted for more than 6.5 million pounds, roughly 54% of total statewide landings last season. So far this season, the area has produced 2.79 million pounds, or 67% of the statewide total this year.
The 2024-25 Washington coastal Dungeness crab fishery produced a total catch of more than 16 million pounds, according to WDFW, falling just short of the previous 10-season average by 485,090 pounds. Despite a decrease in landings from the prior two seasons, strong market demand and high dockside prices made 2024-25 one of the most valuable seasons in the fishery’s history.
Last year’s Dungeness crab season in Washington had the second-highest ex-vessel value on record. The total ex-vessel value of state landings during the 2024-25 season exceeded $83.3 million, surpassed only by a record $88.2 million set during the 2021-22 season (equivalent to $97.1 million in 2025 dollars).
