The US state of Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) last month proposed new rules intended to better prevent Dungeness crab trap ropes from entangling whales, including changes that would allow a faster start to the season, and it's now seeking commercial harvesters' feedback.
The lucrative fishery traditionally opens in December but has been delayed in recent years by everything from harmful algal blooms and low meat yield in crabs to industry squabbles over the starting price per pound. But the state has proposed lowering requirements for how full of meat crabs must be along the southern coast in order for the season to open sooner.
The changes also would include a 20% reduction in the number of pots a permit holder is allowed to fish with later in the season and tightening regulations around when fishermen can get replacement tags for gear reported as lost, the Daily Astorian reports.
The late-season gear reduction would be in place for the next three seasons, providing time for an evaluation of the measure, according to the newspaper.
ODFW is hosting virtual public meetings Oct. 8 and Oct. 22 in which it hopes to work with commercial harvesters to further develop its draft conservation plan.
"Whale entanglements have increased since a marine heatwave began in 2014 and are particularly evident in federally listed humpback whales which forage in Oregon waters during the warmer months (April – November)," the agency explained in a statement released last week. "Oregon gear has been confirmed on entangled whales observed as far south as Mexico and as far north as Washington.
"While reports of whale entanglements are likely rising in part due to public awareness, research is demonstrating the biggest factor may be changing ocean conditions which altered where and when whales migrate and feed."
Oregon Dungeness crab harvesters have been plagued with problems lately. After starting their previous season late, in January, they saw processors largely stop buying and converting their earlier purchases to frozen products to wait for better markets due to the pandemic.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service is considering issuing an incidental take permit to Oregon for the entanglement of species like humpback whales and leatherback sea turtles that are listed under the Endangered Species Act, the newspaper noted. The permit would allow some degree of impact to the whales by the Oregon fishery.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife in May closed its Dungeness crab fishery south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line (districts 10, 17, 18 and 19) early due to concerns about whale and sea turtle entanglements.
October 05, 2020 at 10:22PM
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To protect whales, Oregon would lower Dungeness crab meat yield requirement - Undercurrent News
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