Staff Statement
o Fish
on
Staff
Statement tto
Fish && Wildlife
Wildlife Commission
Comission on
CrabfScallop Gear
Gear Conflict
Conflict
Crab/Scallop
Problem
While scallop
scallop fishing
fishing success
success has
has declined,
declined, aa number
number of
of fishermen
fishermen
While
anticipate
anticipate
fishing for
f o r scallops
scallops this
t h i s winter.
winter.
Scallop
grounds north
north of
of the
the
Scallop grounds
Umpqua River
River run
run through
through traditional
traditional crab
crab fishing
fishing areas.
areas.
When
the crab
crab season
season
When the
opens December
December 11 aa gear
gear conflict
c o n f l i c t and
and an
an unacceptable
unacceptable loss
loss of
of crabs
crabs in
i n scallop
scallop
gear
could result.
result.
gear could
Background
About 16
16 million
million pounds
pounds of
of scallops
scallops (shell
(shell weight)
weight) have
have been
been taken
taken off
off
About
j.~/
Oregon in
i n 1981.
1981.
Oregon
Although 124
ii'4 boats
boats made
made landings,
landings, about
about 90%
90%of
of the
the catch
catch was
was
:,.v.
taken
by 22
22 large
large out-of-state
out-of-state scallop
scallop vessels.
vessels.
taken by
fishing.
fishing.
Fe
Fevei'thar-.10 vessel
vessel$ aai*
& now
now
Fishing was first
f i r s t concentrated
concentrated in
i n the
the Coos
Coos Bay
Bay area,
area, then
then shifted
shifted
north
t o Siuslaw
grounds, then
then to
t o the
the Tillamook
Tillamook Head
Head area.
area.
north to
Siuslaw grounds,
Recent
e f f o r t has
has
Recent effort
been
off Tillamook
Ti 11amook Head,
Head, Siuslaws.
Siuslawt and near-tk.-8~egon-C~a11-iifornia---border.
been off
Most
Most
fishing
has occurred
a t depths
depths between
between 40
40 and
and 50
50 fathoms.
fathoms.
fishing has
occurred at
Gear-Conflict
Gear-Confl
ict
South
the Umpqua
Umpqua River
River most
most crab
crab fishing
fishing is
is inside
inside 30
30 fathoms.
fathoms.
South of
of the
north of
of the
the Umpqua
Umpqua River
River fishing
fishing occurs
occurs out
out to
t o 80
80 fathoms.
fathoms.
However,
However,
Since
Since crab
crab pots
pots
with their
t h e i r individual
individual lines
l i n e s and
and buoys
buoys are
are stationary,
stationary, the
the use
use of
of mobile
mobile gear,
gear,
with
i.e. scallop dredges,
dredges, runs
i.e.
runs the
the risk
r i s k of entanglement,
entanglement, resulting
resulting in
in pots
pots being
being
l o s t along
along with
w i t h their
t h e i r catch
catch of
of crab.
crab.
lost
Fishing
Fishing time
time for
f o r scallopers
scallopers is
i s also
also lost
lost
as they remove
remove lines
l i n e s and
and pots
pots from
from their
t h e i r gear.
gear.
Monitoring of
of by-catch
by-catch shows
shows that
t h a t capture
capture and
and injury
injury of
of crab
crab in
i n scallop
scallop
Monitoring
dredges
has not
not been
been aa serious
serious problem.
problem.
dredges has
Scallop
Scallop boats
boats have
have taken
taken about
about 10
10 crabs
crabs
per tow,
tow, about
killed.
per
about 10%
10% of
of which
which were
were killed.
Coments
Coments from
from scallopers,
scallopers, some
some of
of
I
?
i
whom
whom are
a r e also
also crabbers,
crabbers, are
are that
t h a t the
the crab
crab catch
catch has
has been
been minimal.
minimal.
This
This may
may
j
-2-
change and
and become
become aa problem
problem with
with the
the change
change of
of season.
season.
change
Discussion
Discussion
Gear conflict
c o n f l i c t crab
crab and
and scallop
scallop fishermen
fishermen have
have met
met twice
twice re
r e gear
gear conflicts,
conflicts,
6ear
wanting flexibility
f l e x i b i l i t y in
i n choosing
i t e s and
o find
choosing fishing
fishing ssites
and tto
find aa solution
solution short
short of
of
Fish and
and Wildlife
Wildlife Commission
Commission action.
action.
Fish
In
the Dungeness
Dungeness Crab
Crab Commission
In contrast
cpntrast the
Commission
requested that
t h a t ODFW
ODFW ban
ban scallop
scallop fishing
fishing from
from November
November 27
27 through
through March
March 31.
31.
requested
aa second
second meeting
meeting fishermen
fishermen began
began talking
talking compromise.
compromise.
ffor
o r November
November 4.
4.
AAtt
Another
Another meeting
meeting is
i s set
set
Input from
fishermen is
i s wanted
wanted and
and an
an industry
industry report
report to
to
Input
from more
more fishermen
the
Commission on
on the
the 13th
13th is
i s expected.
expected.
the Commission
By-Catch
By - Catch
Industry has
has not
not discussed
discussed the
the problem
problem of
of taking
taking excessive
excessive crab
crab in
i n scallop
scallop
Industry
gear
b u t will
probably turn
t u r n to
t o the
the Commission
Commission for
f o r aa solution
solution if
i f crab
crab losses
losses
gear but
will probably
aare
r e severe.
severe.
The
issue will
be one
one of
of economic
economic trade-offs
trade-offs rather
rather than
than aa
The issue
will be
biological
conservation matter
matter if
i f aa problem
problem develops.
develops.
biological conservation
Fortunately
too
Fortunately when
when too
many
many crabs
crabs are
are caught
caught in
in dredges
dredges so
so much time
time is
i s lost
l o s t sorting
sorting crabs tthat
hat
scallopers are
are likely
likely tto
o move tto
o another area
area or
or cease
cease operations
operations temporarily.
temporarily
Data
crab catch
catch in
i n scallop
scallop gear
gear is
i s one
one of
of the
the objectives
objectives for
f o r the
the
Data on
on crab
research
vessel Chapman.
Chapman.
research now in
in progress
progress with
with the
the NOAA
NOM vessel
Work in
in the
the Coos
Coos Bay
Bay
Work
area
shows few
few crabs
crabs being
being caught..
caught. An update
update will
will be
be available
available at
a t the
the hearing,
hearing,
area shows
November 13.
November
13.
Recommendations
Recomendations
Since industry
industry is
i s attempting
attempting to
t o resolve
resolve the
the gear
gear conflict
conflict problem
problem and
and
Since
by-catch has
by-catch
has not
not been
been severe
severe it
i t is
i s appropriate
appropriate to
t o hear
hear industry
industry arguments
arguments
before
making recommendations.
recommendations.
before making
Staff will
will be
be involved
involved in
in the
the next
next industry
industry
Staff
meeting
meeting which
which will
will influence
influence our
our comment
coment for
f o r the
the November
November 13
13 hearing.
hearing.
However,
However,
need ffor
Comission action
action probably
probably will
will not
not be
be evident
evident until
until somesomesince aa need
o r Comnission
begins, planned
planned use
use of
of emergency
emergency rule
rule on
on aa standby
standby
time aafter
f t e r crab fishing begins,
basis
be the
the recommended
recommended course
course to
t o follow.
follow.
basis may
may be
Marine Region
Region -10-29-81
-10-29-81
Marine