Saving Seafood

OREGON: Whale permit uncertainty drives changes in Oregon crab fishery

May 20, 2026 — Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery is facing additional regulatory changes as the state works to address whale entanglements and move forward with a federal permit that could shape future fishing operations.

Many of the recent changes in the fishery are tied to conservation plan required for Oregon to obtain an incidental take permit under Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act. The permit would allow the fishery to have some level of impact on endangered humpback whale populations, according to reporting from KMUN. State fishery managers said the application process is underway, but it could take several years before a permit is issued.

At an industry meeting in Astoria, hosted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, staff briefed commercial crabbers on potential regulatory changes connected to the conservation plan. Those under consideration include electronic vessel monitoring, the use of experimental fishing gear, and making a temporary early closure of the fishery permanent.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

OREGON: Questions about federal permit hang over commercial crab fishery

May 18, 2026 — Oregon’s valuable commercial Dungeness crab fishery has seen significant changes in recent years as the state looks to minimize and monitor whale entanglements involving gear used in the fishery.

Now more changes are on the horizon. And looming over everything is uncertainty around the details of a federal permit the state is seeking that would allow the fishery to have some degree of impact on endangered humpback populations.

Many of the recent tweaks and additions to Dungeness crab fishery operations are in fact tied to a conservation plan the state is required to complete in order to obtain the incidental take permit under Section 10 of the federal Endangered Species Act. This permit could provide some certainty to fishermen that even if their gear is implicated in humpback whale entanglements, fishing won’t immediately be shut down. The submittal process is underway now, but state fishery managers say it could be several years before a permit is issued.

An industry meeting in Astoria on Thursday hosted by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff was intended to brief local commercial crabbers and gather input from them ahead of a meeting in August where Oregon Fish and Wildlife commissioners are expected to consider a suite of new regulations connected to the conservation plan, including the possibility of electronic vessel monitoring for the upcoming season, the use of experimental fishing gear and making what had been a temporary rule to close the fishery a month early permanent.

But the main question on crabbers’ minds was the federal take permit and how many whales NOAA Fisheries might allow the state fishery to impact. For them it is the question that nearly everything else revolves around.

Read the full article at KMUN

OREGON: Humpback tangled in fishing gear spotted near Oregon coast

May 18, 2026 — A humpback whale entangled in fishing gear was spotted Friday west of Winchester Bay, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said Wednesday.

Justin Ainsworth, a marine resources program manager with the state agency, said in an email that the gear has a commercial crab buoy tag, but its owner hasn’t been identified because officials haven’t been able to make out the vessel name and permit number.

The whale, Ainsworth said, “appeared to be in good health and was quite mobile.”

He said the National Marine Fisheries Service is ultimately responsible for “gear attributions and entanglement accounting,” but that he expects the gear to be linked to the Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishery. If that’s the case, he said, it would be the second confirmed humpback entanglement in fishery gear in 2026.

Read the full article at the Seattle Times

A crypto billionaire is taking up the fight to bring crab back for Thanksgiving

May 1, 2026 — Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen is leading an effort to extend the Northern California crabbing season that has steadily shrunk over the past six years, taking up the cause of fishermen who claim their industry has been dying in the face of regulations meant to protect migrating whales.

State regulators implemented a system known as RAMP in 2020 that automatically delays or closes the commercial Dungeness crab season when humpback whale sightings or entanglements in crab gear reach a set threshold. Since then, the season — which once ran from November through summer — has largely been pushed to a January start, with closures arriving in spring.

For years, local fishermen have bemoaned what they claim(opens in new tab) is a blunt-force approach. Larsen is launching an initiative to expand the commercial crabbing season with the aid of a dedicated legal team so local fishermen can again start crabbing as early as November.

Read the full article at The San Fransisco Standard

CALIFORNIA: California set to close more of Dungeness crab fishery to traditional gear, but harvesters can keep hauling traps with pop-up gear

April 21, 2026 — The U.S. state of California is set to close more of its Dungeness crab fishery to traditional gear as regulators anticipate an upcoming abundance of whales in commercial Fishing Zone 3.

Harvesters who opt to use pop-up fishing gear will be allowed to continue fishing for several more weeks in that area, however, as part of the state’s effort to enable commercial fishing to take place alongside whales while reducing entanglement risk.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Fuel costs squeeze US fleets as Dungie season ends on a low note

April 2, 2026 —  As the Dungeness crab season winds down on the Washington coast, fishermen are closing out a difficult year marked by low landings and rising fuel costs – pressures now being felt across all U.S. fisheries.

According to reporting from the Chinook Observer, Washington commercial crabbers landed 9,382,410 pounds of crab as of March 23, putting the season on pace to be the lowest-volume year since 2014-2015. At the same time, marine diesel prices are hovering near $6 per gallon, adding strain to an already challenging season.

“Hopefully, we’re at the point where it won’t go up anymore,” F/V Brandy owner and captain Ryan Walters told the Observer before departing on a trip with crew on March 28.

Fuel remains one of the largest expenses for vessels. Crew member Paul Munowich, who has fished commercially for 25 years, said prices are among the highest he can remember. “Fuel is one of our biggest expenses, just one of those things you’ve got to deal with,” he told the Observer, noting their vessel holds 3,000 gallons– putting a full fuel bill at more than $15,000.

While ex-vessel prices have held steady, the lack of volume has made for a tough season. “It’s been slow, a tough year,” Walters said. “The price has been good, just not the volume.”

Even so, fishermen are continuing to fish through the added costs. “It just affects the bottom line,” Munowich said. “That’s the problem with this industry –a lot of it gets dictated out of our control, but we’ve just got to keep fishing,” he told the Observer.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

WASHINGTON: Washington coast commercial fishermen feel the pinch of rising fuel prices

March 30, 2026 — As Dungeness crab season limps to a historically low-volume finish, punishing fuel prices are putting a final dash of salt on an unsavory year for the Washington coast fleet.

As of March 23, Washington commercial crabbers have landed 9,382,410 pounds of crab, currently on pace for the lowest volume since the 2014-2015 season (7.5 million pounds).

Meanwhile, the average price of marine diesel fuel is hovering around a historic high of $6/gallon, capping what has been a forgettable season for commercial crabbers.

“Hopefully, we’re at the point where it won’t go up anymore,” said F/V Brandy owner and captain Ryan Walters before departing on a trip with crew on Saturday, March 28.

Read the full article at the Chinook Observer

CALIFORNIA: CDFW bans conventional crab traps in Monterey Bay to reduce whale entanglements

March 16, 2026 — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said Friday that commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fishers can no longer use conventional traps in parts of the California coast.

DFW said the ban takes effect March 27 in waters south of Pigeon Point past Morro Bay in state fishing zones 4 and 5, including Monterey Bay.

CDFW said commercial Dungeness crab fishing may continue for the rest of the season through June 30 using newly approved “pop-up” gear beginning in April.

Recreational crab fishers may continue using hoop gear, which does not use vertical lines in the water column, in the closure areas after March 27.

Read the full article at KSBW

OREGON: Oregon wildlife officials deny petition aimed at reducing whale entanglements

February 25, 2026 — Commissioners for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife voted no on a petition that would’ve modified the rules for crab fisheries in an effort to prevent whale entanglements on Friday.

After hearing testimony from more than 70 people who showed up to their regular meeting in Springfield on Feb. 20, the commissioners voted 6-1 to a proposal which would have initiated a public rulemaking process.

The petition was filed by environment groups Oceana, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the American Cetacean Society in an effort to reduce the number of whales caught in fishing gear.

“Whale entanglements in the Oregon Dungeness crab fishery are a serious and increasing problem, especially for endangered humpback whales,” said Ben Enticknap, fisheries campaign director for Oceana. And this problem isn’t going away on its own.”

Read the full article at KOIN

OREGON: Oregon commission rejects Dungeness crab petition

February 23, 2026 — The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) rejected a petition filed by conservation NGOs seeking new rules to reduce the risk of whale entanglements in Dungeness crab fishing gear, opting instead to move forward with its own ongoing rulemaking process.

“We remain fully committed to protecting whales and other marine life while supporting a sustainable, community‑based crab fishery,” the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission said in a social media post after the vote. “Over the past several years, Oregon’s crab fleet, [Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife] staff, and the Commission have already implemented a series of conservation measures and adaptive, late‑season rules to reduce entanglement risk, and that work will continue.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource