Tag: entanglements

ODFW Issues Fleet Advisory to Avoid Whale Entanglement
Fishermen's News Online, News, Vessel Profile

ODFW Issues Fleet Advisory to Avoid Whale Entanglement

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 entanglement 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 fleet of crab fishing best practices to help reduce the risk of entanglements at all times, but especially when entanglement risk is elevated during times of higher crabbing effort or when higher numbers of humpback wha...
Calif. Closes Dungeness Crab Fisheries Early to Minimize Humpback Whale Entanglements
Fishermen's News Online, News

Calif. Closes Dungeness Crab Fisheries Early to Minimize Humpback Whale Entanglements

Aerial and vessel surveys showing that humpback whale numbers are rising as they return to forage off the California coast have prompted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to close commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries, effective April 8. CDFW, which made the announcement on March 28, said the closures will be effective in Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6, from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to the U.S.-Mexico border, plus a 30-fathom depth constraint for commercial Dungeness crab fisheries in Zones 1 and 2, from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to the Oregon border. Traps used by commercial fishers in Zones 1 and 2 will be prohibited in waters seaward of the 30-fathomn contour. A recreational crab trap prohibition is also being implemented in Zones...