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Efforts to reduce entanglements
Know the current line marking requirements
Since 2014, increased interactions between protected marine species and fishing gear along the U.S. West Coast have led to an elevated level of marine life entanglement, including some involving gear that has been attributed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to Oregon fisheries. This increase has been driven largely by interactions between humpback whales and commercial Dungeness crab gear, but entanglements have been documented with other protected whale and sea turtle species as well. This situation threatens the stability of fisheries and coastal fishing communities.
For the past three decades, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has taken measures to limit fishing effort allowed for harvesting crab in Oregon's commercial Dungeness crab fishery for a variety of purposes. From limiting the number of boats and pots in the fishery to implementing a derelict gear removal program, these measures are the result of collaborative processes to sustainably manage the crab fishery, including reducing the risk of marine life entanglements.
More recently, ODFW has implemented a series of measures specifically designed to reduce the risk of marine life entanglements. Key measures included a 20 percent reduction in pot limits across all ocean Dungeness crab permits, a requirement for an additional late-season buoy tag, and a prohibition on commercial crabbing outside of 40 fathoms, all starting on May 1 of each season. ODFW has also taken steps to improve fishery accountability to provide critical information for addressing a range of issues, including being better able to monitor the fishing gear involved in future entanglements. These measures are foundational to ODFW's draft conservation plan (CP) that lays out a strategy to minimize and mitigate the incidental entanglement of federally-protected humpback whales, blue whales, and leatherback sea turtles by the ocean commercial Dungeness crab fishery off Oregon to the maximum extent practicable. The CP is required to secure an incidental take permit under section 10 of the federal Endangered Species Act.
ODFW continues to work on building solutions to further reduce these risks, working with the crab industry, sport fishermen, conservation groups, federal agencies, and others on an on-going basis.
DRAFT Conservation plan for reducing the impact of the Oregon ocean commercial Dungeness crab fishery on ESA-listed species off Oregon (pdf) (posted 8/18/21)
In September 2024, line marking requirements were adopted for the Oregon ocean commercial crab fishery to improve gear identification and our ability to monitor the gear involved in future entanglements. Details of those requirements can be found here. In conjunction with these requirements, rules were adopted prohibiting the use of multi-colored line or line marks that are required for any state or federal fishery on the West Coast from being used on any part of the gear in other recreational or commercial fixed gear fisheries.
The following line markings are required in West Coast fixed gear fisheries and are therefore prohibited from being used in any part of the gear fished in other recreational and commercial fixed gear fisheries. This list will be updated if new line marking requirements are adopted in other fisheries.
Washington coastal commercial crab fishery (WAC 220-340-430):
- 12 continuous inches of red *Effective now*
Oregon ocean commercial crab fishery (OAR 635-005-0480):
- Dual-colored yellow and black line with the majority of strands colored yellow and at least ⅓ of strands colored black or sets of solid yellow and black marks covering the entire circumference of the line for at least two feet yellow within six inches of at least two feet black *Effective Dec 1, 2026*
ODFW letter to NMFS regarding the West Coast Take Reduction Team, August 2024 (pdf)
Oregon Entanglement Advisory Committee (OEAC)
Oregon Dungeness crab fishery management plan
Reducing risk of marine life entanglement in Oregon Dungeness crab gear – more history on measures taken to reduce entanglement specific to the commercial Oregon Dungeness crab fishery
Oregon whale distribution study
Whale Alert
NOAA Marine mammals on the West Coast: Fisheries interactions
CDFW Whale safe fisheries
WDFW Marine life entanglement information and resources
PSMFC Habitat program – Working to prevent whale entanglements
| For questions about efforts to address marine life entanglement in Oregon fisheries |
Brittany Harrington - Marine Life Entanglement Project Leader, Marine Resources Program
(541) 819-9246
brittany.l.harrington@odfw.oregon.gov |
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