Oregon fisheries officials faced with another humpback whale entangled in multiple sets of commercial crab gear have issued a fleet advisory for the Dungeness crab fishery in all waters off the Oregon coast to avoid setting gear where whales are transiting or foraging.
The advisory, issued Jan. 30, became effective immediately.
The latest incident comes in the wake of a record four entanglements, involving three humpback whales and one fin whale, attributed to Oregon commercial crab gear in 2024.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials reminded the crab-fishing fleet of best practices to help reduce the risk of entanglements. Risk is elevated during times of higher crabbing effort or when higher numbers of humpback whales listed under the Endangered Species Act are present off the Oregon coast.
Crabbers were reminded to remove any fishing gear not actively tended and to promptly remove all gear from the ocean when finished crabbing for the season.
Other reminders from ODFW included adjusting the length of buoy lines when moving pots to shallower waters to maintain taut vertical lines, minimizing surface gear and ensuring no excess line is floating on the surface. Setting gear in the area of large feeding aggregations of whales also should be avoided, while bringing derelict gear to shore in-season.
Those unable to retrieve derelict gear should report the gear’s location to ODFW.
Fish and Wildlife also urged all crabbers to share the advisory and reminders about crab fishing best practices to reduce the risk of marine life entanglements within their networks.
Crabbers were asked to consider reporting whale sightings using the WhaleAlert app and share locations of unusually high whale or sea turtle activity with ODFW and other fishers.
All entangled marine mammals or sea turtles should be promptly reported by calling 1-877-SOS-WHALe (1-877-767-9425), while keeping a safe distance. Crews should not attempt to disentangle the creatures, the ODFW announcement said.