FILE - Dungeness crab caught in crab pot off of Port Orford, Ore., on May 13, 2018.
Arya Surowidjojo / OPB
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.
The department on Dec. 5 issued a fleet advisory, urging fishers to be vigilant and take precautions to avoid entanglements. The advisory doesn’t include enforcement measures, but it says the department is strongly considering further regulatory action to reduce entanglement risk.
“The latest dead humpback whale should be a wake-up call that entanglements in Oregon crab gear are a major problem,” stated Ben Enticknap, fisheries director at Oceana. “Oregon fishery managers should act quickly to strengthen conservation measures to reduce whale entanglements.”
The number of entanglements in Oregon commercial Dungeness crab gear this year is likely higher than just the four confirmed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in September released preliminary results showing that there may have been as many as 20 entangled whales.
Entanglements can cause starvation, infections, amputations, strangulation as well as impact a whale’s ability to reproduce, according to NOAA.
“The four humpback whales found tragically entangled in Oregon crab gear are a signal of a much greater entanglement problem, as only a small fraction of them are ever detected,” said Francine Kershaw, a senior scientist at Natural Resources Defense Council. “The state should take swift, science-based management action to effectively protect endangered whales in Oregon waters.”
State law requires the commission to respond to the petition in writing within 90 days and either deny it or begin rulemaking proceedings.
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