US Oregon Dungeness crab - pot/trap

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.