SHELLFISH INVESTIGATION
INVESTIGATION INFORMATION
INFORMATION REPORT
REPORT70-6
70-6 ABANDONED
ABANDONEDCRAB
CRABPOTS
POTS NEAR
NEAR CANNON
CANNON BEACH, OREGON
OREGON
Darrell
Demory Darrell Demory
Commission of
of Oregon
Oregon Fish Commission
Research
Research Division October 1971
1971 ABANONDED CRAB POTS NEAR CANNON BEACH,
BEACH, OREGON
INTRODUCTION
The State Police in Astoria informed the
the Fish Commission on
October 12, 1970, that some 100 crab pots were in the ocean in 3-10
fathoms
fathoms of water near Cannon Beach.
Beach.
This is
is about 23 miles south of
the Columbia River within the 3-mile
3-mile limit.
limit.
According to
to one local
local
crab fisherman,
fisherman ~ the pots had not been
been pulled
pulled since
since September
September 1,
1, 1970,
1970.,
crab
and probably longer.
longer.
be confiscated.
confiscated.
Fish Commission
CoDlllission concurred
concurred that the pots should
The Fish
Sgt.
Sgt. Ken Moore,
Moore, Oregon State Police,
Police, contracted aa boat
boat
and crew
crew to
to pull
pull the
the pots.
pots.
and
Laimons Osis represented the Fish Commission
to obtain biological data
data on the
the crabs
crabs caught.
caught.
RESULTS
TWo trips
trips were required to retrieve 117
117 pots; 15
15 others were lost
lost
Two
when the lines
lines broke, and about 8 were too near the beach to pull.
pull.
The
pots were
were described
described as
as ilAlaska
type, I! 48
48 inches
inches in diameter
diameter with
wi ~ at
at
Alaska type,"
least one
one escape
escape port
port each.
each.
least
The pots were stored in a Highway CoJlQllission
Commission
garage in Astoria.
from)) to
to 97 (Table
(Table 1),
1), and
and averaged
averaged 31.1
31.1
The number of crabs ranged from
per pot for
for aa calculated
calculated total
total of
of 3,629
3,629 crabs.
crabs.
per
Ninety-one per cent of
the
were females
females
the crabs
crabs sampled
sampled were
were legal
legal males,
males, 6.2%
6.2% were
were sublegal,
sublegal, 1.8%
18% were
and 1% were dead.
dead.
Six of the
the 34
34 female
female crabs
crabs were
were egg
egg bearing.
bearing.
At an
crabs were trapped
average of 2 pounds
pounds each,
each, an estimated 7,000 pounds of crabs
in the
the pots.
pots.
A
A few crabs were taken for samples and the remainder were
released back into
into the
the water.
water.
The condition of the crabs was good;
good; 85% were hard shell and 14.3%
were softshell
softshell (Table
(Table 1).
1).
were
molted,
One per cent of
of the crabs had recently molted"
2.
2,
Table
1.
Table 1.
1
17
17
32
32
20
20
11
11
10
10
12
12
26
26
2S
25
16
16
25
25
9
9
9
9
10
10
14
14
4
4
21
21
29
29
32
32
30
30
10
10
16
16
27
27
13
13
27
27
32
32
27
27
36
36
32
32
33
33
27
27
36
36
10
10
31
31
33
33
11
tLl
13
13
38
38
15
15
37
37
9
9
25
25
16
16
32
32
28
28
47
47
28
28
39
39
31
31
26
26
30
30
Number
Number of
of Crabs
Crabs per
per Pot,
Pot, October
October 14,
14, 1970
1970
Condition
CondItion
2
2
3
2
2
2
2
1
Females
Pemales
Dead
Dead
11
1
1
1
2
2
11
8
8
1
11
66
3
3
3
3
11
11
11
1
1
2
2
3
3
8
11
8
66
3
3
33
33
11
11
2
2
1
7
7
1.
2
2
4
4
22
66
11
1
1
6
6
1
1
11
1
11
1
1
1
22
1
22
4
4
3
3
44
12
12
66
11
6
6
44
9
9
55
2
2
6
6
44
2
2
55
20
20
36
36
21
21
13
13
20
20
27
27
22
1
1
11
11
2
2
66
33
Total
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
11
2
2
4
4
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
22
28
28
16
16
33
33
12
12
24
24
10
10
22
22
6
6
27
27
32
32
36
36
34
34
12
12
24
24
27
27
15
15
31
31
34
34
33
33
39
39
40
40
36
36
29
29
44
44
13
13
33
33
34
34
14
14
17
17
42
42
21
21
52
52
15
15
26
26
26
26
37
37
37
37
58
58
30
30
51
51
35
35
30
30
39
39
3.
3.
Table
1.
Table 1.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Condition
1
2
3
Females
Dead
Total
2S
25
3S
35
41
41
32
32
42
42
S7
57
37
37
63
63
66
66
46
46
48
48
6S
65
3S
35
38
38
40
40
36
36
97
97
46
46
64
64
39
39
29
29
47
47
39
39
23
23
1,167
1,167
134
134
S6
56
33
33
12
12
1,402
1,402
4. 4'
(test fishing
fishing off
off the
the Columbia River on November 19,
(test
19, 1970,
1970, showed
showed that
that
82% of the crabs had recently molted).
The average
average size
size of
~e
the legal
legal male
male crabs
crabs was
was 172.5
172.5 Mm.
mm.
The
1969-70
The 1969-70
seasonal
for the
the Columbia
Columbia River
River area
area was
was 174
174 mm
mm (Table
(Table 2).
2).
seasonal average size for
It
few sublegal
sublegal crabs
crabs were
were in
in the
the pots
pots and
and is
is evidence
evidence
It is
is noteworthy that few
that escape
escape ports
ports are
are effective,
effective.
that
DISCUSSION
Unattended crab
crab pots in the ocean in aa fishable
fishable condition during a
75-day closed season present aa definite
definite resource
resource problem.
problem.
Crab
fisher­
Crab fisher-
men
cite instances
instances where
where unattended
unattended pots
pots without
without bait
bait continue
continue to
to fish
fish
men cite
and
either sand
sand in
in or
or wash
wash onto
onto the
the beach
beach during
during storms.
storms,
and either
It
It is
is not
not
known how
how long
long crabs
crabs can
can survive
survive under
under these
these conditions.
conditions.
known
Probably aa more serious
serious problem
problem in
in this
this case
case is
is cannibalism.
cannibalism.
Probably
Cannibalism
Cannibalism has
has been
been observed
observed by
by shellfish
shellfish personnel
personnel in
in aquarium
aquarium studies
studies
where freshly
freshly shed
shed females
females were
were eaten
eaten by
by the
the males.
males.
where
Had the
the pots not
been pulled
it is
is highly
highly probable
that many
or most
of the
the crabs
crabs would
been
pulled it
probable that
many or
most of
would
have
have succumbed
succumbed to
to cannibalism.
cannibalism.
The trapped
trapped crabs
crabs would
would have
have been without
food for
for several
several weeks and
and would
would be
be hungry,
hungry.
Second,
Second, the high percentage
of hard-shell
hard-shell crabs on October 14 and 28,
28. and a high percentage of
soft shells
not begun
begun by
by
shells on
on November
November 19,
19, shows
shows that
that molting
molting ha
ha not
October
28.
October 28.
The molt would have
have taken
taken place
place while the
the crabs
crabs were
were concon­
fined
the pots and
and aa severe
severe mortality
mortality would
would certainly
certainly have
have occurred.
occurred.
fined in the
At this
this writing,
writing, the
the disposition
disposition of
of the
the case
case is
is still
still pending.
pending.
At
The
pots had an
an estimated
estimated value of
of $20.00
$20.00 each,
each, but
but the
the owner
owner of the
the gear
repurchased it
it for
for $650
$650 or
or $5.55
$5.55 each.
each.
repurchased
The fisherman
fisherman involved
involved appeared
appeared
The
in court December 15,
15, but the
the case
case was
was continued
continued until
until 1971.
1971.
5.
S.
Frequencies of 257
257 Crabs Taken from
from Abandoned
Table
2. Width Frequencies
Table 2.
Crab Pots
Pots October 14,
28. 1970
14, and 28
Size (mm)
(mm) 151
Hard Shell
Shell
,
22
11
11
3
4
3
3
55
66
7
7
8
8
99
160
160
1
1
22
3
4
5
66
77
4
4
3
3
11
4
4
33
66
5
4
4
2
2
33
3
22
4
5S
11
66
5s
77
10
10
18
18
11
22
5
5
4
5
5
11
9
88
9
9
180
180
22
3
11
66
12
12
15
15
19
19
66
7
7
11
88
99
5
5
12
12
10
10
77
7
7
99
11
11
1
7
2
2
14
14
15
15
3
22
22
66
99
22
11
11
22
11
55
11
55
11
88
99
3
11
4
11
4
3
11
5
3
4
4
9
33
11
99
99
66
Total
Total
11
22
11
11
88
170
170
11
2
2
Soft Shell
Shell
11
7
11
18
18
66
6
6
88
10
10
33
4
4
4
4
4
4
2
22
55
4
3
2
2
6
6
7
8
8
9
9
190
190
2
22
33
22
22
22
3
3
3
11
11
11 11
11
2
2
206
206
Total
Total
6
207 207
50
50
257
257