ODFW News: Com'l Crab pot limits; ocean salmon

[Pete]

For Immediate Release Friday, April 14, 2006

Crabbers weigh-in on pot limitations; ocean salmon seasons adopted

SALEM - The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission today heard testimony from 65 commercial crabbers on proposals to limit the number of pots their boats may fish in a season.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff presented options developed in cooperation with the commercial crab industry, whose members voiced concerns about derby-style behavior during the winter opening of the season and an over-capitalization on the resource.

Both proposals work to limit the Oregon commercial crab fishery to approximately 150,000 pots in the ocean, require the use of buoy tags, establish a maximum pot size of 13 cubic feet, establish an appeals board, require a single pot limit per vessel, prohibit gear leasing and require a review of the program after three years.
The Commission will take final action on the issue at its June 9 meeting in Salem.

Other highlights from today's meeting included:

OCEAN SALMON: ODFW staff presented an overview of proposed ocean sport and commercial salmon seasons, approved at the recent Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Sacramento, CA. The proposed seasons await approval by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, but the Oregon Commission today approved fishing seasons in state waters that correspond to regulations in federal waters. Details are available on ODFW's Web site, http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/salmon/updatesnew.html

COMMERCIAL SARDINE FISHERY: The Commission approved staff proposals to better regulate Oregon's new limited entry commercial sardine fishery. In an effort to ensure that permit holders are actively working their permits, sardine fishermen will be required to record 10 landings annually, with at least five metric tons in each landing. Waivers will be established to accommodate injury, illness, market conditions and other circumstances beyond the fishermen's control.

The Commission is the policy-making body for fish and wildlife issues in the state. The seven-member panel meets monthly. The next regular OFWC meeting is May 10-11 in Burns.

[ron m]

Thanks for the info and the link.
ron m

[Old Coot]

Interesting discussion on the commercial crabbing. There was an article in the Brookings newspaper in the last few weeks about the same thing. That article cited that this year crabbers are fishing an estimated 190,000 pots off of Oregon, and that ODFW estimates that there is an annual loss of 10% of the pots. I found that staggering. Imagine an additional 10-15,000 ghost pots every year! In a couple of more decades maybe there will be a new offshore mining boom - for stainless steel wire!

The same article stated that out of all those commercials, just two individual boats manage to take about 20% of the total Oregon commercial catch.