Saving Seafood

Feds deny petition to list two Oregon Chinook salmon populations as endangered

December 10, 2025 — A group of environmental nonprofits filed a petition in 2022 to protect the spring-run Chinook along the Oregon Coast and part of Northern California.

Jeff Miller from the Center for Biological Diversity said spring-run Chinook are more threatened by habitat changes than fish that return in the fall.

“Spring-run are blocked in their migration to where they ideally want to go,” Miller said. “A lot of their former spawning habitat is blocked above major dams.”

Spring-run Chinook return from the ocean much earlier than the fall-run salmon and will stay in deep-water pools until the fall, when they head further upstream to spawn. That means spring-run Chinook often spawn further upstream than fall-run.

Read the full article at KLCC

Pacific halibut catches declined this year

December 9, 2025 — The Pacific halibut fishery ended on Dec. 7, and by all accounts, things remained on a stagnant trend. Stakeholders are dealing with the fallout from the lowest Pacific halibut spawning biomass in 40 years, and harvesters widely reported catches of fewer and smaller fish.

The annual survey conducted since 1963 by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) revealed little change in the halibut stock that stretches from Alaska’s northern Bering Sea, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon to California’s Monterey Bay.

By early December, coast-wide commercial landings of halibut totaled 16.7 million pounds, down 16 percent from the same time last year and reflecting just  80 percent of the allowable catch limit in 2025.

According to a report by the IPHC at its interim meeting on December 2, total halibut takes (called mortalities) from all sectors – commercial, sport, personal use, and subsistence – were 28.8 million pounds, down 12% from last year, and marking the lowest removals in 100 years.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

OREGON: Oregon fisheries try old technology to boost salmon returns

December 8, 2025 — On a tributary of the Clatskanie River, near Astoria, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has set up a “hatchbox.”

It’s basically six large barrels: three that filter the stream water and three that carry trays of salmon eggs so the water can flow over them.

Tom Stahl, with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said hatchboxes can be useful tools in the attempt to restore salmon to local waterways.

When salmon eggs in the barrels turn into tiny fish, usually around January, they’ll be swept into the stream. Essentially, the hatchbox protects the eggs from predators while they grow. Hatchboxes can also be used to bring fish eggs from other locations and introduce them into a new stream.

Older Oregonians may remember hatchboxes from school, where they were used to illustrate the salmon’s lifecycle. But over the years hatchboxes have fallen out of favor, largely because the fish they release compete with wild salmon.

Read the full article at the OPB

OREGON: Oregon to open southern coast for Dungeness crab harvest 16 December

December 8, 2025 — After delaying the full season by two weeks, the U.S. state of Oregon will open its southern coast to commercial Dungeness crab harvesting on 16 December.

“Oregon’s crab fishery is an economic driver for coastal communities,” Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Marine Resources Program Manager Justin Ainsworth said in a release. “I appreciate crab fishermen being patient as we tried to align our opening with Washington, but the best option now is to open up what we can.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US Congress holds hearing on sea lion removals and salmon predation

December 4, 2025 — The U.S. House Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee held a hearing on sea lion predation on salmon and the effectiveness of killing the mammals to slow down the trend.

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), sea lions skyrocketed from a population of roughly 10,000 in the 1950s to 250,000 today. That spike has been seen as a success story for the MMPA, but it’s also had a major impact on salmon populations, which are a key food source for pinnipeds. By traveling upriver to avoid their natural predators – orcas – sea lions are able to feast on already struggling salmon populations. Since 2002, California and Steller sea lions have eaten roughly 98,000 salmon at just two sites: Bonneville Dam and Willamette Falls, Oregon.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

OREGON: Oregon delays Dungeness crab season after Washington testing falls short

November 25, 2025 — Officials in the U.S. state of Oregon have decided to delay the state’s commercial Dungeness crab season by at least two weeks, despite preseason testing showing that the state’s crabs met the regulatory threshold for meat recovery.

In a 21 November announcement, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) declared that it would be pushing back the season opening from 1 December to 16 December due to testing in Long Beach, Washington, the only site to show lower meat recovery levels.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

OREGON: Commercial Dungeness season delayed until at least Dec. 16, ODFW announces Friday, to wait for Washington improvements

November 24, 2025 — Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab season is delayed coastwide until at least Dec. 16, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday.

Dungeness crab along the Oregon coast met both meat and safe biotoxin level requirements, however the ODFW said the season will be delayed as crab tested in the Long Beach, Wash. area have not yet met the meat fill requirement.

In a news release Friday, the ODFW said most Dungeness crab advisory committee members supported the delay as it is least disruptive to traditional fishing patterns and may improve market conditions. The tension comes because if the Washington season is closed and the Oregon season is open, then Washington crabbers with permits for both states move their operations to the north Oregon coast, putting extra pressure on the fishery.

Read the full article at KLCC

OREGON: Researchers look for answers after humpback whale stranded on Oregon coast

November 21, 2025 — Experts are looking into the stranding of a young humpback whale who was euthanized Monday, nearly two days after it washed ashore north of Yachats, Oregon while entangled in crabbing gear.

Several research teams conducted a necropsy on Tuesday, and found the 26-foot-long male humpback had some lesions, no stomach contents, and the body was in overall fair condition.

Oregon State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Lab took samples for further tests, and will release analysis once the results are in.

Read the full article at KCBY

OREGON: Euthanized humpback whale removed from Oregon Coast beach

November 20, 2025 — A young humpback whale that was euthanized on Monday has been removed from the Oregon beach where it died.

Scientists, veterinary students and members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians worked together to disassemble the whale Tuesday.

Tribal members performed ceremonies for the whale, and collected some of its remains for cultural use.

Read the full article at OPB

WASHINGTON: Washington crabbers hope for a December start

November 19, 2025 — As crews along Washington’s coast splice rope, paint buoys, and stack their pots, the region’s commercial crab fleet is once again preparing for what the Chinook Observer calls the most prized fishery in the Pacific Northwest. According to an article published by the Observer on Nov. 16, the official start to the 2025 Washington commercial Dungeness crab season could come as early as Dec. 1 if the preseason test results for meat recovery and domoic acid meet the criteria.

The first round of tests delivered mixed results. Long Beach came close, but at 20.9 percent recovery on Nov. 3, it fell just shy of the 23 percent threshold required along the Washington and north Oregon Coasts. Other major test sites performed well above the cutoff: Astoria at 26.4 percent, Westport at 25 percent, and Garibaldi at 27.1 percent.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman