[ODFW-News] Fish and Wildlife Commission hears from crabbers on pot limits

[ODFW News]

For Immediate Release Friday, March 17, 2006
 
Fish and Wildlife Commission hears from crabbers on pot limits 
 
NEWPORT - The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission heard testimony at a
meeting here Friday from nearly 50 commercial crabbers on setting limits
on the number of pots commercial crab boats may fish in a season.
 
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff presented two proposals on
crab pot limits developed at the request of the Commission after input
from commercial crab industry, whose members voiced concerns about
derby-style behavior during the winter opening of the season and an
over-capitalization in the industry.
 
The first option presented before the commission would limit pots to a
maximum of 100 for boats under 27 feet and have two tiers of 300 and 500
pots, based or Oregon landings in the six years prior to 2001. The
second option proposes a maximum of 200 pots per vessel at the start of
the season, which usually opens Dec. 1, and no pot limits after Feb. 1.
 
The two proposals grew out of a crab summit last July, when crab
fishermen met with ODFW staff to develop a pot-limit plan. ODFW staff
mailed all Oregon crab permit holders a copy of the preliminary
proposal.
 
Patty Burke, manager of ODFW's Marine Resources Program, noted that the
department has received substantial feedback from the industry -- 286
phone calls, emails, letters, faxes and personal visits.
 
Nearly every crabber who testified Friday was in favor of some form of
pot limits, but several offered different ideas about how many tiers and
what the limits should be.
Several crabbers who fish large numbers of pots objected to a top limit
of 500 pots because they would lose a higher percentage of their total
number of pots than other operations.
 
"What I heard here today was unanimous support for pot limits and
unanimous support for the control date," said Commissioner Don Denman.
"We need to decide what the pot limit plan should look like."
 
The Commission will consider amendments to the proposals based on public
comments and staff analysis at its April 14 meeting in Salem. Final
action on the crab pot limitation will take place at the Commission's
June 9 meeting in Salem. If the Commission adopts a pot-limit program,
it will take effect for the 2006-2007 commercial crab season.
 
The Commission is the policy-making body for fish and wildlife issues in
the state. The seven-member panel meets monthly.
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