Every December, palpable excitement fills the Oregon coast as residents anticipate the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season. To many on the coast, Dungeness crab is at the center of holiday and family celebrations at this time of year. As crabbers prepare their vessels and gear, fishery managers coordinate with various partners to ensure that a safe, quality product is available to consumers and that access to Dungeness crab is orderly and equitable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like other\ncrustaceans, Dungeness crab grow by periodically shedding a chitinous exoskeleton\nthrough a process called molting. As adults, crab molt at most once per year,\nleaving them in a vulnerable post-molt or softshell condition which lasts for\napproximately two months as the new shell hardens and fills with tissue\n(Rasmuson, 2013). Ocean commercial crab season regulations are designed to\nprovide some measure of protection during the time of year when molting\ntypically occurs as softshell crab are more susceptible to injury or mortality\nfrom handling. By restricting harvest of poor condition crab, handling impacts\nare reduced and a higher meat yield can be obtained by targeting crab in a\nhardshell condition (PFMC, 1979).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first seasonal closure was established in 1948 using crab condition criteria based on shell hardness sampling (Waldron, 1958). Since this time, the determination of open seasons has been a topic of debate due largely to variability in coastwide molting patterns, harvest fluctuations, and socioeconomic considerations. A coastwide season opening date of December 1 and closing date no later than August 15 was first recommended in 1963 (Snow, 1963) and though the season closure date has moved several times, the regulatory season opening date has remained unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over time, a number of efforts have been made to improve coastwide\ncoordination of season openings allowing for an orderly start to the crab\nseason. Since 1993, this coordination has taken the form of the Tri-state\nprotocol which details a preseason testing program based on meat recovery and\nseason opening procedure for Washington, Oregon, and California (Didier, 2002). The latest revision\nof the preseason testing protocol for the Tri-state coastal Dungeness crab\ncommercial fishery, signed in August 2019, is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today,\npreparation for the season opening begins in late November as Oregon Department\nof Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) partners with the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission\nto collect crab for preseason testing. Concurrently, crab are collected from\neach test station for Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) domoic acid tests.\nOnce the season opening structure is determined, ODFW notifies industry and the\npublic as soon as possible so that there is adequate time to prepare to fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Oregon,\nfishers are allowed to set commercial crab pots during a 73-hour gear setting\nperiod prior to the season opening (OAR 635-005-0485). A gear setting period\nwas first adopted in the mid-1960s at the request of industry to provide equal\nopportunity to vessels of all sizes, reduce congestion, and improve safety\n(ODFW, 1983).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beginning on\nthe day prior to the season opening, Oregon State Police conduct hold\ninspections of all vessels participating in the first 30 days of the season, with\nassistance from ODFW (OAR 635-055-0465). Each vessel hold is inspected and\ncertified to be free of crab before providing the vessel operator an Oregon\nhold inspection certificate. If the fishery has been divided into multiple\nfishing zones, the fisher must also declare which fishing zone they intend to\nfish. A vessel used for fishing crab in an open zone is then prohibited from\nfishing in any zone that opens later within the same crab season until 30 days\nafter the later-opening zone has opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to regulatory season delays due to meat quality or biotoxins (i.e., domoic acid), industry-led delays of the ocean commercial season may occur for several reasons. Historically, these delays have been the result of inclement weather or inability to agree upon a starting price. A state-supervised price negotiation process was established in 2003 to allow harvesters and processors to collectively bargain for an opening price. This voluntary price negotiation process is initiated only at the request of harvesters and dealers representing at least 51% of the active permits and buying capacity in the state, respectively. If this threshold is met and price negotiations proceed, the process is overseen by ODA with involved parties bound by the terms of the negotiated price agreement. Through this process, crabbers are able to set gear and begin fishing safely and efficiently, while processors can ensure a dependable supply of crab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\ncommercial crab season opening is a complex process that involves many parties\nand is subject to variability in weather, crab abundance, molting patterns, and\na number of other factors. Dungeness crab are an iconic retail product and\nculturally significant species in Oregon, and regulations are designed to\nmaintain product quality, while also allowing for an orderly start to the\nseason to minimize safety concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the\nocean commercial crab season opening tomorrow in Oregon, it is an exciting time\nto be working with ODFW in Newport. I\u2019ve been able to observe and participate\nin various aspects of two season openings now, and I\u2019m continually impressed by\nthe amount of time, effort, and coordination that is required to get the season\nstarted. Like everyone else on the coast, I look forward to the coming weeks\nand the influx of fresh Dungeness crab that will soon available and ready to be\nenjoyed by all!<\/p>\n\n\n\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Didier, A.\nJ., Jr. 2002. The Pacific coast Dungeness crab fishery. Submitted to the\nCommittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the United States Senate\nand Committee on Resources of the United States House of Representatives. The\nPacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, 30 pp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oregon\nDepartment of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). 1983. Staff statement on preseason\nsetting of crab pots and crab pot release mechanism for public hearing March\n18, 1983. Exhibit E. Marine Region, 4 pp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pacific\nFishery Management Council (PFMC). 1979. Draft Fishery Management Plan for the\nDungeness Crab Fishery off Washington, Oregon and California. 93 pp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rasmuson, L.\nK. 2013. The biology, ecology, and fishery of the Dungeness crab, Cancer\nmagister<\/em>. In <\/em>Advances in Marine Biology, Vol. 65, pp. 95\u2013148. Ed. By\nM. Lesser. Academic Press, Burlington. 176 pp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Snow, C. D. 1963.\nOregon crab management. Oregon Fish Commission, 14 pp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Waldron, K.\nD. 1958. The fishery and biology of the Dungeness crab (Cancer magister <\/em>Dana)\nin Oregon waters. Fish Commission of Oregon, Report No. 24, 45 pp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every December, palpable excitement fills the Oregon coast as residents anticipate the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season. To many on the coast, Dungeness crab is at the center of holiday and family celebrations at this time of year. … Continue reading