Tag Archives: Dungeness crab fisheries.
History of disaster
A report prepared by former harbormaster Richard Young provides some insight into how the Crescent City Harbor District got into such dire financial straits that a tax initiative is being proposed for the November election to help the port pay back a $5 million loan. Four natural disasters in five years, including two tsunamis, caused millions of dollars in damage to the harbor’s marina and other facilities, said Young, who was the harbormaster from 2004 to 2014. However, the port has been having financial difficulty for years due to the decline in the groundfish and salmon fisheries and the variability in the pink shrimp and Dungeness crab fisheries, he said. >click to read< 12:05
Oregon group tries to dodge California’s fate by addressing whale entanglement issues early
Oregon’s commercial fishing industry is trying to get ahead of a problem that could put California in the middle of a lawsuit and has the potential to drastically change Dungeness crab fisheries on the West Coast. Last year, 71 whales tangled with U.S. fishing gear off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington state, as well as neighboring countries — the highest annual total for the West Coast since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began keeping such records in 1982. Sixty-six of these incidents happened in California, many of them involving endangered humpback whales tangled in commercial crab gear. At the end of June, the Center for Biological Diversity announced its intent to sue the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which manages the fishery, for “causing the take of threatened and endangered whales and sea turtles.” click here to read the story 15:27
North coast of Washington reopens to crab fishing
The recreational and commercial Dungeness crab fisheries on the northern coast of Washington is to reopen effective immediately, state shellfish managers announced Aug. 28. Earlier this month, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) closed crabbing on the northern coast – from Point Chehalis north to the Queets River – when levels of marine toxins posed a threat to public health. That area, including Grays Harbor, is now open. Ayres noted that the use of crab pots is prohibited after Sept. 15, when the commercial fishery ends. Read the rest here 21:46
Crabbers, Herrera unite behind tri-state management
Pacific County resident Dale Beasley traveled to Washington, D.C., recently to testify in support of a bill that he says is a top priority for the fishing communities of Ilwaco and Chinook. Beasley, president of the Columbia River Crab Fisherman’s Association, was invited by U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., to speak on behalf of H.R. 2168, a bipartisan bill introduced by her and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., that would permanently reauthorize tri-state management of the West Coast’s commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries. Read the rest here 20:05
