Oregon inches Closer to Setting Date for Dungeness Crab Opening, But no Decision Yet
The Oregon Dept. of Agriculture and the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that commercial Dungeness crab fishing will remain closed in waters starting in Hecata Head to the California border. However, there is a tri-state call on latest testing results and opening plans today, and already a significant portion of the coast shows domoic acid levels well below the FDA health threshold. As a result, some decisions about opening the Dungeness crab season are expected in the near future reports John Sackton.
A report from independent fishery consultants MRAG found IUU fishing violations in the Pacific are shifting away from straight up poaching efforts in favor of intentionally misreporting catches. The report was presented at the Pacific Tuna Commission meeting in Bali, which did show a sharp decline in financial losses from IUU fishing to go along with the findings that instances of catch underreporting or misreporting are on the rise.
In other news an annual coast wide survey of halibut weights in Alaska’s Bering Sea fishery show the fish may be getting heavier. Weights based on a per unit of effort were 5 percent higher compared to 2014 levels according to the survey.
Meanwhile, warm temperatures in China’s Southern province of Hainan are likely to curb tilapia mortalities and result in a surplus in production and supplies next spring. “If this whole winter stay warm like it does now, there will be no incidence of dead tilapias,” reported farmers from the major tilapia producing region.
Finally, Alaska’s Board of Fisheries unanimously voted against several proposals that would have allowed a single person to hold multiple Bristol Bay permits. “Permit stacking” as it is referred to, means driftnet or setnet fishermen can hold and fish two permits under the same name and/or the same vessel in the case of drift permits. Opponents say the practice consolidates Alaska’s fisheries into fewer hands, usually those with the capital to buy second permits.
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