It is good news that a starting date for commercial Dungeness crab season was announced late last week, but bad news that it’s Feb. 1.

This will be the second-latest start ever, beat only in the season before last, when the lingering aftereffects of a marine toxin bloom delayed it until mid-February. This year, the problem isn’t domoic acid, but rather a shortage of food for the crab to eat — meaning they haven’t met the required level of meat content for harvest.

We reported last week on the remarkable generosity and success of the Corder Foundation’s annual pre-Christmas fundraising drive for the Ocean Park, Chinook and Ilwaco food banks. It is crabbing families who often come to my mind here in the midwinter when there is a lengthy season delay. Crew members and crab pickers/processors are particularly hurt when expected December and January checks don’t come. There’s no shortage of local people who need help putting meals on the table, but it’s especially bad when hard-working folks in the seafood industry can’t afford food.

Of course, when there is a season underway, crabbing families have worries of a different kind, as boats put out in some of the wildest weather and seas the North Pacific has to offer. If there is any upside to this year’s two-month delay, it’s that February is ordinarily out of the window when the worst conditions occur.

Speaking of marine toxin, resumption of razor clam season has been delayed yet again, as Washington coast clams very slowly eliminate domoic acid from their meat after absorbing it during a toxic algal bloom last autumn.

There is always natural variability in species abundance, but problems like those outlined here have snowballed in recent decades, putting real strain on local people whose livelihoods and nutrition partly rely on a well-balanced marine environment. Beyond worrying about these changes, it’s up to each of us to stay informed about what is happening and to agitate on behalf of good science and responsive government action. Part of the Chinook Observer’s mission is to provide up-to-date information about the natural world and how it’s changing.

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