Saving Seafood

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: Record-breaking year for Oregon fishing industry in 2025

February 24, 2026 — The Oregon commercial fishing industry reached a new economic high in 2025. The industry generated $517 million in income and supported 10,321 jobs. This marks a significant increase from the previous five-year average.

The total economic activity, including harvesting and processing, was valued at $1.1 billion. The total harvest value for onshore deliveries was $223.3 million.

Despite these gains, challenges remain. The industry faces catch variability, volatile market conditions, and climate change impacts. There are also conflicts with other ocean uses, such as energy generation and telecommunications.

Marcus Hinz of the Oregon Coast Visitors Association emphasized the industry’s importance. “It shows the fishing industry’s significance in Oregon’s blue economy,” Hinz said. “But this is not an ‘all clear’ when it comes to threats to the industry.”

Read the full article at KDRV

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

Whale strandings prompt Dungeness crabbing rule changes

February 5, 2026 — Last September, a humpback whale off the coast of California and another off the coast of Mexico were found dragging gear from Dungeness crabbing operations in Oregon. In November, rigging from the Oregon Dungeness crab fishery caused the stranding of a juvenile humpback whale on the beach in Yachats that was subsequently euthanized, according to wildlife officials.

Whale entanglements are becoming more common along the west coast of the United States, with NOAA Fisheries reporting as many as three dozen confirmed sightings in 2024.

In an effort to prevent the entanglements, last year, the state of Oregon mandated that commercial crabbing operations reduce the number of pots they deploy and stick to shallower waters on May 1. Now, state regulators have moved the date earlier in the season, April 1.

The impact of the change

Poggy Lapham is owner/operator of the 66-foot, Newport-based fishing vessel Michele Ann. On a recent morning, Lapham stood on the bridge of his boat while watching a small crane lift five-foot-square plastic bins brimming with freshly-caught Dungeness crab from the ship’s hold. A forklift took the bins to a scale and then a refrigerated tractor-trailer.

Lapham said the crabbing community was not consulted about the new rules, and even though the change will likely not impact his bottom line, it will undermine the profitability of many smaller operations.

“I typically don’t fish [for crab] that late in the season, as it is, but if you look out the window of this boat right now, I can pick out a whole bunch of boats where that is an essential part of their season,” he said.

Typically on April 1, Lapham begins to harvest sablefish, which is also known as black cod. He uses traps that sit on the sea floor like crab pots. And just like crab pots, the denial-of-exit trap is tethered to a rope and a buoy that floats on the surface.

Lapham knows the industry well. In fact, he’s a member of the federally mandated West Coast Take Reduction Team for sablefish pot fishing.

Read the full article at KLCC

OREGON: Oregon adds late-season crab gear restrictions

February 4, 2026 — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has implemented temporary rule changes that move late-season whale entanglement risk reduction measures for the 2025-2026 commercial Dungeness crab season up by one month, shifting the start date from May 1 to April 1.

Beginning April 1, commercial crab permit holders will see a 20 percent reduction in pot limits combined with a 40-fathom depth restriction, meaning no gear may be fished beyond 40 fathoms once the late-season measures are in effect.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Commission again sets Pacific halibut harvest at rock-bottom levels amid U.S.-Canada tensions

January 29, 2026 — The International Pacific Halibut Commission set the 2026 harvest at a historic low during an annual meeting that drew a Trump administration political appointee to lead tense U.S. negotiations with Canada over shares of a shrunken fishery.

The four-day gathering last week in Bellevue, Washington, came during a time of tumultuous relations between the two nations.

President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and blustering talk of making Canada part of the United States have spurred widespread anger among Canadians. January has been particularly volatile, as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, at an economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, attacked “coercion” by great powers, while Trump, in a subsequent speech, asserted that “Canada lives because of the United States.”

At the Bellevue halibut meeting, Drew Lawler, a political appointee to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, served as the non-voting head of the U.S. delegation.

In private talks sandwiched between public parts of the meeting, the U.S. delegation threatened economic sanctions, and successfully pressured Canadians to trim the British Columbia share of the halibut harvest, according to sources with knowledge of these discussions.

The commission is charged by a more than century-old treaty with conserving Pacific halibut. There are three voting representatives from the United States and three from Canada.

The halibut fishery has been in a deep prolonged downturn that has buffeted sport, commercial and subsistence fishermen in Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon, Washington and Northern California. Since the early 2000s, both the average size and overall population of halibut have fallen precipitously, according to scientists.

Read the full article at Anchorage Daily News

OREGON: Oregon implements new rules for crab fishers to reduce whale deaths

January 29, 2026 — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is implementing temporary rule changes for Dungeness crab fishers in the 2025-26 season to restrict gear and areas where fishing can occur.

Beginning April 1, crab fishers must comply with late-season whale entanglement risk reduction measures, including a 20% reduction in pot limits, a 40-fathom depth restriction and the mandatory use of secondary buoy tags.

The changes follow a petition conservation groups filed Dec. 11 asking the state to adopt measures to reduce whale and sea turtle entanglements in Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery after a record number of humpback whales were caught in Oregon Dungeness crab fishing gear in 2024 and 2025.

Read the full article at OPB

OREGON: Oregon takes actions to reduce entanglement risks in commercial Dungeness crab fishery

January 28, 2026 — The U.S. state of Oregon has moved up its “late-season” Dungeness crab gear regulations by a month in an effort to reduce the likelihood of whale entanglements.

The late-season rules – which prohibit setting gear in waters deeper than 40 fathoms and require fishers to use 20 percent fewer pots and special buoy tags on each pot – were slated to go into effect 1 May. However, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has decided to move up the start date to 1 April in a bid to prevent any humpback whale entanglements.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

OREGON: ODFW seeks nominee for Pacific Fisheries Management Council

December 31, 2025 — ODFW is accepting nominations for a seat on the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The three-year term for this Oregon at-large seat begins Aug. 11, 2026.

Anyone interested in being considered, or wishing to nominate someone, must contact Jessica Watson at 541-351-1196 or jessica.l.watson@odfw.oregon.gov. Completed application packets must be submitted no later than Jan. 23, 2026.

The Oregon at-large seat is currently held by Brad Pettinger, who is not eligible for re-appointment to another three-year term, since he has completed his full allotment of terms. ODFW will send all nominations to the Governor who will then forward the names of at least three candidates to the National Marine Fisheries Service (in the U.S. Department of Commerce) for consideration. Successful appointees must pass an extensive FBI background check.

Read the full article at the Lake County Examiner

OREGON: Conservation groups urge Oregon to reduce whale deaths from crab fishing gear

December 29, 2025 — After at least four humpback whales were entangled this year in Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear, conservation groups are petitioning the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to adopt measures to reduce the amount of fishing gear during whale feeding and migration seasons.

Filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council and the American Cetacean Society, the petition asks officials to open a pathway for fishers to use pop-up fishing gear, which eliminates untended buoy lines. The gear has been tested in the California Dungeness crab fishery, and conservation groups say it is reliable, profitable and safe for whales and other marine animals.

“This year’s horrific entanglements show that humpbacks are in a lot of danger from Oregon crab gear,” said Ben Grundy, an oceans campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “If state officials don’t move to adopt whale-safe fishing gear, like pop-up buoys for Dungeness crab pots, endangered whales will continue to suffer and die preventable deaths.”

The petition, filed earlier this month, comes weeks after a young entangled humpback whale was found stranded on a beach north of Yachats. Veterinarians euthanized the whale after unsuccessful attempts to free it on Nov. 17. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife  is investigating the entanglement.

Read the full article at The Oregon Capital Chronicle