NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) - Oregon crab fishermen are urging the National Weather Service to repair storm-damaged buoys that provide information on ocean conditions near river bar crossings.
     
The powerful winter storm that brought wind gusts of up to 100 mph and waves as high as 70 feet to the Oregon coast last month ripped two of the government's weather buoys off of their moorings: one near the mouth of the Columbia River and another off the coast of Newport.
     
The loss of the buoys left Oregon fishermen sailing blind at night during a time of year when waves are at their highest levels.
     
"It puts us at a real disadvantage," said Mark Newell, a Newport troller. "If you're on an 80-footer with a bow 30 feet high, you can take a breaker. But smaller boats like me get wiped out."
     
Steve Todd, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service in Portland, said a contract ship called the Blue Fin attempted to redeploy the buoys a week ago but that the weather was too rough for the boat to make it out.
     
The next opening is in March and the weather service is doing everything possible to get the buoys back in servicve, said Matt Ocana, a spokesman for the agency.
     
Last month, an aide to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., added a little political pressure, asking the government to speed up its timetable for replacing the buoys - which had been June.
    
"They're very important to the people on the coast," said Tom Towslee, a spokesman for the senator.
     
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)