Although the Dungeness crab is found along thousands of miles of 

 coastal areas it is only known to inhabit sandy and grassy bottoms below the 

 tidal range. Such bottoms are widely scattered along the coasts of 

 Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. The principal landing ports 

 are San Francisco and Eureka in California, Coos Bay, Yaquina Bay, and 

 Astoria in Oregon, Grays Harbor, Willipa Harbor, and Seattle in Washington, 

 and Cordova, Petersburg, Kake, Hoonah, and Ketchikan in Alaska. 



In recent years Dungeness-crab fishing has become an important 

 industry along the coasts of British Columbia, Canada. The northern part 

 of Vancouver Island, Hecate Strait, and Dixon Entrance provide very pro- 

 ductive fishing grounds. The latter two areas are also fished by American 

 vessels, which deliver their catches to Seattle, Wash. , or Ketchikan, Alaska. 



Table 1 shows the landings of Dungeness crabs in California, Oregon, 

 Washington, and Alaska from 1946 to 1954. 



Table 1. -- Landings of Dungeness crab, 1946 to 1954 



(In pounds) 



Year California Oregon Washington Alaska Total 



7,742,400 8,008,400 2,438,600 27,833,800 



7,531,700 11,973.200 1,392,611 31,630,911 



10,069,500 22,712,500 1,222,326 45,822,626 



9,346,500 13,142,500 1,428,401 35,033,701 



6,266,800 5,821,100 4,119,425 27,929,825 



7,452,000 4,829,968 5,482,416 29,332,784 



5,456,700 4,265,800 3,749,412 26,469,312 



7,824,000 7,004,090 3,471,806 26,577,610 



9,602,000 8,311,000 2,739,383 28,480,383 



