Potential Rule Changes Could Hurt Crabbing Industy In Oregon

A packed room of crabbers, processors, port officials, and coastal lawmakers gathered in Newport to push back against a sweeping petition they say could “drastically impact the crab fishery as we know it” and devastate small ports along the Oregon Coast.

At the heart of the conflict are proposed rule changes tied to humpback whale protections, including:

• Moving the management line to 30 fathoms by 2027

• Imposing a 40% reduction in gear inside 30 fathoms starting April 1

• Requiring “pop-up” (ropeless/longline-style) gear outside 30 fathoms, with only one year of experimental use before full implementation

Crabbers say the petition amounts to a transfer of management authority from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to environmental non government organizations (NGO), and that the economic and practical impacts have not been properly assessed. Meeting organizer and vessel owner Gary Ripka said “We are in a fight. This could drastically impact the crab fishery as we know it. My opinion, if this petition goes forward, we are turning over the management of the Oregon Dungeness crab fisheries to the NGOs.”

Fishermen discussed the recent in season rule change. ODFW recently moved to implement late‑season management measures a month earlier, without what fishermen see as adequate consultation. Heather Mann, Executive Director, Midwater Trawlers Cooperative said “The petition has a lot of things in it that actually are misinterpreting federal law. It is not using science the way it should be used. It is making assumptions about things that aren’t accurate.” Mann added that the late season changes came as a surprise. “This came as a surprise to everyone with no sort of input up front that it was coming, no consultation with anybody in the industry before they made the decision.”

The new petition was filed with the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission by conservation groups like the Center for Biological Diversity, Oceana and the Oregon Cetacean Society not by ODFW. Commissioners will be discussing the petition at their February 20th commission meeting. At the meeting they can deny it or agree to further consider it. Fishermen repeatedly warned that these changes—especially the 40% gear cut and forced pop‑up/longline systems offshore—would hit small ports and smaller boats the hardest.

Ports specifically named as vulnerable included:

• Port Orford

• Garibaldi

• Port of Reedsport / Winchester Bay

• Other small “springtime” ports that depend on late‑season crab

  
  

Several fishermen emphasized that many pots never hit the water in spring, yet the rules assume full effort. Late‑season gear is already coming out; there is no credit for pots pulled early. Retrofitting for pop‑up or longline‑style systems could cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, with no guaranteed catch to offset it.

A major theme was which humpback whales are actually being entangled off Oregon, and how that interacts with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Humbpack whales are divided into what is called distinct population segments or (DPS). Crabbers and allied scientists argued that current management assumes “worst case” – that every entanglement in Oregon is one of the endangered whale populations.

Without clear proof that Oregon entanglements involve the endangered DPS in significant numbers, drastic restrictions are premature.

Many fishermen and industry leaders stressed that the real fight is with litigation‑driven NGOs, not with front‑line ODFW staff. The meeting drew not just fishermen but also state legislators, tribal representatives, and banks. State Senator David Brock Smith addressed the group, saying the Legislative Coastal Caucus wants to engage and will draft a formal letter to the Commission. The financial impact of the crabbing industy is in the millions of dollars that is brought to coastal communities and the state. Cari Brandburg treaserer of the local Oregon Coast Crab Association said "This could impact tourism, restaurants, local businesses and over 1,000 family wage jobs in Oregon."

Both Ripka and Brandburg emphasized that the crabbing industry are stewards of ocean. "We don't want to see anything bad happen to whales, we don't want to see them harmed in any way. Oregon Fisherman are proven stewards of the ocean and deserve a seat at the table when it comes to these types of discussions that afffect our livlihoods and communities." Preliminary research shows an over 8% increase in whale populations along the Oregon Coast. Donations are now being accepted at PO Box 28 Newport Oregon 97365.