US Oregon Dungeness crab - pot/trap

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Overview

This FIP includes the commercial pot fishery used to capture Dungeness crab along the Oregon coast.  An MSC pre-assessment completed in 2018 concluded that the coastwide Dungeness crab stock is in healthy condition and the three-S input controls (season, size and sex limits) appear to be appropriate for the stock. Oregon has developed a limit reference point and the ability to take management actions based on that limit. However, the Dungeness crab stock includes coastal waters off California and Washington and those states do not have biologically meaningful reference points. The pre-assessment concluded that the fishery could proceed to full assessment, but would have a much greater likelihood of success if Oregon worked in collaboration with one or more of the other coastal states toward common harvest control rules and reference points to effectively control exploitation of the stock if necessary. Oregon has been in discussions with Washington about preparing to enter MSC assessment (including developing reference points and management strategies). There seems to be some interest in doing so but no immediate actions are being taken in Washington or California. As Oregon continues to work with the other states, they are interested in continuing to make improvements where they can through a Basic FIP. 

FIP Description 

This FIP includes the commercial pot fishery used to capture Dungeness crab along the Oregon coast.

FIP Objective(s) 
  1. Develop an index of crab stock status that takes uncertainty into account and assures that abundance stays in a productive zone by 2022.
  2. Identify whether there are any main primary or main secondary species associated with this fishery by 2023.
  3. Develop and implement short- and long-term options for reducing whale entanglements in Dungeness crab fishing gear by 2025.
  4. Develop and implement new technologies to streamline logbook submittals and to monitor compliance with closed or restricted fishing areas (marine reserves) by 2025.
  5. Develop a Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) for the Oregon Dungeness Crab fishery that explicitly incorporates the precautionary approach and includes objectives consistent with achieving the outcomes expressed by MSC’s Principle 2 by 2024.
  6. Conduct an external review of key parts of the Oregon Dungeness crab fishery management system by 2025.
     
FIP Type 
Basic
FIP Stage 
Stage 4: Improvements in Fishing Practices or Fishery Management
Start and Projected End Dates
August 2020
August 2025
Last Progress Report Reviewed 
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Next Progress Report Due 
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Species 
Common Name 
Dungeness Crab
Scientific Name
Cancer Magister
Buying Guide Link Image 
Dungeness Crab
Buying Guide
Gear Type 
Pot/Trap
Location
FAO Major Fishing Area
Area 67 (Pacific, Northeast)
Exclusive Economic Zones
Country 
United States of America (the)
Geographic Scope 
Soft bottom coastal habitats within State (0-3 nm from shore) and Federal (3-200 nm) waters of Oregon
Landings
Estimated Total FIP Landings 
2,234 metric tons
Estimated Total Fishery Landings 
12,922 metric tons
Landings Date 
December 2022
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FIP at a Glance

View current status
August 01, 2020
50% 43% 7%
Progress Rating (A) Advanced Progress

Reserved for comprehensive FIPs that have achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within the past 12 months.

(B) Good Progress

A basic FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result within 12 months.

(C) Some Recent Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months that has never achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result but has reported a Stage 3 activity within the first 12 months.
(D) Some Past Progress
  • A FIP that has achieved a Stage 4 or 5 result in more than 12 (but less than 24) months BUT has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old AND a Stage 3 activity has been reported within six months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.
(E) Negligible Progress
  • A FIP for which the most recent Stage 4 or 5 result is more than 24 (but less than 36) months old, with no Stage 3 activity reported in the last six months.
  • A FIP younger than 12 months with no Stage 3 activity reported within 12 months.
  • A FIP 12-36 months old that has never reported a Stage 4 or 5 result AND has not reported a Stage 3 activity within the past six months.

The ratings are currently derived by SFP from publicly available data on FIP websites, including FisheryProgress.org, and are determined using the following methodology: View PDF
B Good Progress
Actions Complete

This pie chart represents completed environmental actions. Non-completed environmental actions may contain completed sub-tasks that are not illustrated here. For more information on environmental action progress visit the Actions Progress tab.
  • Complete
  • Incomplete
Next Update Due FisheryProgress requires a FIP to provide update reports every six months, and two missed reports will render the FIP inactive. If a report is overdue, this date will appear red.
Aug 2024
Target End Date
Aug 2025

FIP Leads

Organization Name 
ForSea Solutions LLC
Organization Type 
Consultant
Primary Contact 
Natasha Novikova
Email 
natasha@forseasolutions.com
Phone 
+19713319612
Website Name 
ForSea Solutions
FIP Identification Number The FIP Identification Number is automatically generated by FisheryProgress when a FIP profile is created. While the number itself is not meaningful, they are used by NGOs, academia, and industry to refer to FIPs in a consistent way.
14029