Oregon Dungeness Crab Pot Fishery - MMPA List of Fisheries
U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of interactions that result in incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.
Current Classification on the List of Fisheries
Category |
II |
Estimated Number of Participants |
342 |
Target Species |
Dungeness crab |
Applicable Take Reduction Plans |
N/A |
Observer Coverage |
None |
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured |
Gray whale, Eastern North Pacific; Humpback whale, CA/OR/WA1 |
^ Number of participants estimates are based on state and federal fisheries permit data. The estimated number of participants is expressed in terms of the number of active participants in the fishery, when possible. If this information is not available, the estimated number of vessels or persons licensed for a particular fishery is provided. If no recent information is available on the number of participants, then the number from the most recent LOF is used. NOAA Fisheries acknowledges that, in some cases, these estimations may be inflating actual effort.
*Observer coverage levels include the latest information reported in the most current final Stock Assessment Report (SAR).
1 Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.
Basis for Current Classification
The mean annual mortality and serious injury of humpback whales (CA/OR/WA stock) is greater than 1% and less than 50% of the stock’s Potential Biological Removal (PBR) level.
Distribution
This fishery operates along the coastal waters of OR in depths typically from 10–40 fathoms. The Dungeness crab season runs from December 1–August 14, although the state may delay the opening based on the condition of the crabs. Additionally, the state may close the season after the end of May if catch rates are still high to protect molting crab.
Gear Description
The cylindrical or rectangular pots used in the fishery are fished individually by law. A maximum of 200, 300, or 500 pots may be fished at once depending on previous landing history (due to the implementation of a three-tiered pot limitation system).
Management
This is a limited access fishery managed by the OR Department of Fish and Wildlife in conjunction with the Tri-State Committee agreement for Dungeness crab, which also includes the states of CA and WA. Logbook reporting of effort and catch data to the state is now required.
Historical Information
Original Category (Year added to the LOF) |
III (1996) |
Original Number of Participants |
1,475 |
Basis for Original Classification |
Listed as Category III because there was no observer, logbook, or stranding data available. |
Past Names |
WA/OR/CA crab pot (until 2009) |
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list) |
N/A |
Timeline of Changes
2020 |
|
2009 |
|
Changes on the LOF when the “OR Dungeness crab pot” fishery was included in the larger “WA/OR/CA crab pot” fishery |
|
2007 |
|
2005 |
|