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ILWACO and CHINOOK, Wash. — It’s only a few days into this year’s commercial Dungeness crab season and fishermen already believe they are looking at a better run than last year.

Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, won’t have initial landing numbers for another week or so but, he said, “The word we’re getting from the fleet is that it looks better than last year.”

After getting the all-clear from state health departments, Oregon and Washington’s commercial Dungeness crab fishermen finally hit the water Monday after being delayed for weeks due to elevated levels of the marine toxin domoic acid. The season traditionally opens Dec. 1, though it has been pushed back into January before when crabs have not reached proper size. A delay beyond Christmastime is particularly difficult for crabbing families who rely on those paychecks for holiday spending.

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