Commercial Crab Fishery - Dungeness crab

• Reducing risk of marine life entanglements in crab gear
• Commercial crab traceability (crab harvest areas)
• About the Dungeness crab fishery
• Crab season opening weekly updates
• Commercial crab landings
• Post-season derelict gear recovery program
• News and publications
• Crab domoic acid rules advisory committee information
• Life history of Dungeness crab
• Crab identification
• Commercial Synopsis (pdf)
• Commercial shellfish OARs (48 pages pdf)

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Other commercial crab fisheries

• Bay Dungeness crab fishery
• Other commercial crab fisheries
  
  

Reducing Risk of Marine Life Entanglements in Oregon Dungeness Crab Gear

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. 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. This webpage is intended to provide information about ODFW's recent efforts to address and minimize marine life entanglements in Oregon Dungeness crab gear.

To subscribe to receive email updates about ODFW efforts to reduce marine life entanglements, including OEAC meeting notices and proceedings, contact Kelly Corbett at Kelly.C.Corbett@odfw.oregon.gov.

Conservation Plan

• 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)

Fleet Advisories

• Commercial and Recreational Fixed-Gear Fishing Fleet Advisory (pdf) (posted August 17, 2023)
• Crab Fleet Advisory (pdf) (posted May 2, 2023)

Oregon Entanglement Advisory Committee (OEAC)

• Oregon Entanglement Advisory Committee Members (posted 6/16/22) (pdf)
• OEAC Charter (pdf)
• New Member Orientation Materials
  • NMFS 2021 West Coast Whale Entanglement Summary (pdf)
  • NMFS National Report on Large Whale Entanglements Confirmed in the United States in 2020 (pdf)
  • Oregon Aug 2021 Conservation Plan DRAFT (pdf)
  • Habitat Conservation Planning and Incidental Take Permit processing handbook
  • Frequently Asked Questions (pdf) (revisions pending)
  • Oregon Commercial Dungeness Crab Best Fishing Practices Directive to Minimize Marine Life Entanglement Risk (pdf)
  • California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (CCIEA) West Coast whale entanglement data repository
  • Seasonal, Annual, and Decadal Distribution of Three Rorqual Whale Species Relative to Dynamic Ocean Conditions Off Oregon (Derville et al., 2022)
• March 16, 2023 Oregon Entanglement Advisory Committee Meeting Agenda (pdf)
  • OEAC meeting slides (pdf)
  • OSU research updates for OEAC, March 2023 (pdf)
  • Meeting Summary (posted May 2, 2023) (pdf)
• October 12, 2022 Oregon Entanglement Advisory Committee Kick-off Meeting Agenda (pdf)
  • OEAC Kick-off meeting slides (pdf)
  • October 12, 2022 OEAC Meeting Summary (pdf)
• March 3, 2022 Oregon Entanglement Working Group Meeting Agenda (pdf)
• OEAC Meeting Slides (ppt)
• March 3 OWEWG Meeting Summary (pdf)
• January 13, 2021 Oregon Whale Entanglement Working Group Meeting Summary (pdf)
• Oregon Whale Entanglement Working Group Website
• Oregon Whale Entanglement Working Group Preliminary Recommendations

Oregon Dungeness Crab Advisory Committee (ODCAC)

• Oregon Dungeness Crab Advisory Committee Members (updated June 2023) (pdf)
• May 26, 2021 Meeting Summary (pdf)
• April 9, 2020 Meeting Summary (pdf)
• February 6, 2020 Meeting Summary (pdf)
  • Meeting Materials (pdf)
• December 11, 2019 Meeting Summary (pdf)
• Meeting Materials (pdf)
• November 7, 2019 Meeting Summary (pdf)

Crab Industry Public Meeting Materials about Marine Life Entanglement Mitigation (pdfs)

• October 19, 2022 Oregon Dungeness Crab Industry Public Meeting Notice (pdf)
  • Meeting slide presentation (pdf)
  • Recent Crab Industry Proposed Changes Feedback Survey (pdf)
  • Meeting recording (posted 10/21/22)
• October 2020 materials
  • Agenda
  • Meeting 1 – Recent whale entanglement regulatory changes (pdf) (presentation slides)
  • Meeting 1 – Conservation Plan (pdf) (presentation slides)
  • Meeting 1 – Presentation recording (posted 10/20/20)
  • Meeting 1 – Summary (posted 10/20/20)
  • Meeting 2 – Conservation Plan and Dungeness Crab Fishery Management Plan (pdf) (presentation slides)
  • Meeting 2 – Presentation recording (posted 10/29/20)
  • Meeting 2 – Summary (pdf) (posted 1/28/21)
    
    
• October 2019 materials
  • Agenda (pdf)
  • Handouts (pdf)
  • Presentations (pdf)
  • Meeting Notes (pdf) (posted 12/10/19)
  • Public Meeting Survey Summary (pdf)
    
    
• October 2018 materials
  • Agenda (pdf)
  • Whale Entanglement Presentation (pdf)

Industry Notices and Updates about Marine Life Entanglement Mitigation

2023

• August 22, 2023 Public Notice of newly adopted regulations to reduce the risk of marine life entanglement (pdf)
  
  
• July 7, 2023 Public Notice of Marine Life Entanglement Proposed Rulemaking (pdf)
  
  
• March 8, 2023 Marine Life Entanglement Mitigation Reminders and Late-Season Tag Order Form (pdf)

2022

• March 1, 2022 Marine Life Entanglement Mitigation Reminders and Late-Season Buoy Tag order Form (pdf)

2021

• August 16, 2021 Notice of draft conservation plan to reduce whale entanglement posted for 30-day public comment period (pdf)
  
  
• March 16, 2021 Whale Entanglement Mitigation Reminder Notice and Late-Season Buoy Tag Order Form (pdf)

2020

• December 11, 2020 - 2019-20 Annual Crab Newsletter (pdf)
  
  
• September 25, 2020 Permanent Regulatory Changes Adopted to Reduce Risk of Whale Entanglement and Notice of Upcoming Public Meetings (pdf)
  
  
• June 25, 2020 – The crab exhibit proposing a second phase of whale entanglement mitigation measures (see industry notice dated 6/5/20 for details) is now scheduled for the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission (OFWC) meeting on September 11, 2020. Please see the OFWC webpage here for updates on how to provide public comment on this agenda item. In preparation for this meeting, ODFW staff will be briefing the commission at the August 7, 2020 remote meeting as part of the Director’s Report. The briefing will consist of a non-rulemaking presentation to commissioners with an overview of the whale entanglement issue and our staff recommendations to reduce risk of whale entanglements, as will be presented again at the September 11 meeting.
  

• June 5, 2020 Temporary Rules for the 2019-20 Crab Season and Update on Phase II Whale Entanglement Mitigation Proposed Rulemaking Notice to Industry (pdf)
  
  
• April 6, 2020 - Due to COVID-19 response by the State, the crab exhibit portion of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting on April 17 has been postponed. We are working to figure out how to reschedule this regulatory package with our commission. Our plans for next steps could include temporary rules that we may consider for implementation during this season to reduce whale entanglement risk.
  
  
• February 20, 2020 Phase II Whale Entanglement Mitigation Proposed Rulemaking Notice to Industry (pdf)

2019

• September 19, 2019 New Regulations and October Industry Meetings Notice (pdf)
• July 5, 2019 Elimination of the two-week post-season “clean-up” period Industry Notice (pdf)
• June 17, 2019 Tri-State Summary and Whale Entanglement Mitigation Update Industry Notice (pdf)
• April 12, 2019 Whale Entanglement Mitigation Update Industry Notice (pdf)
• March 25, 2019 Tri-State Industry notice (pdf)

2018

• September 10, 2018 Upcoming Crab Public Meetings Industry Notice (pdf)
• May 11, 2018 Tri-State Industry Notice (pdf)

2017

• May 5, 2017 Whale Entanglement Informational Letter to Industry (pdf)

Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission Materials about Whale Entanglement Mitigation

• October 2021 OFWC Briefing
• September 2021 OFWC Briefing
• September 2020 OFWC Briefing
• August 2020 OFWC Briefing
• June 2019 OFWC Briefing
• September 2019 OFWC Briefing

 Additional Resources

• Frequently Asked Questions (pdf) (posted 2/14/2020)
• 40 Fathom Map (pdf) (best printed in color; posted 5/5/21)
• Oregon Commercial Dungeness Crab Best Fishing Practices Directive to Minimize Whale Entanglement Risk (pdf)
• 2020 West Coast Entanglement Science Workshop
• ODFW Letter of intent to apply for a Section 10 Incidental Take Permit (pdf)
• Oregon Dungeness Crab Fishery Newsletters (pdf)
• Oregon Whale Distribution Study
• Whale Alert
• NOAA West Coast Entanglement Summaries
• CDFW Whale Safe Fisheries website
• WDFW Marine Life Entanglement Information and Resources
• PSMFC Habitat Program – Working to Prevent Whale Entanglements

Contacts

Kelly Corbett - Marine Resources Program, Newport
Phone: (541) 867-4741
E-mail: Kelly.C.Corbett@odfw.oregon.gov

Troy Buell - Marine Resources Program, Newport
Phone: (541) 867-4741
E-mail:Troy.V.Buell@odfw.oregon.gov