If you have a commercial Oregon Dungeness crab permit you will receive a FREE Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission double-layer, protective Dungeness crab face mask! (click on link to see one modeled by our office manager)

All we ask is that you call our office at 541-267-5810, or email Joanna@oregondungeness.org, and provide us with your email address for future newsletters. (We also will need a mailing address for where to send the face mask). That is all.

We will soon be phasing our industry newsletter to an email only delivery, so now is the perfect time to take advantage of getting us your up-to-date email while also getting a free mask that happens to also promote our brand!

This program is being funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation and administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). FSA will work with fishermen via phone, email, fax, mail or online tools like Box and in person appointments where applicable. Click here for a listing of FSA offices by state and county/parish(https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?state=us&agency=fsa).
Fishermen can sign-up for relief through the program from September 14, 2020 to December 14, 2020.
Payments are based on 2019 landings of Atka mackerel; Crab, Dungeness, King, Snow, Southern Tanner; Flounder, Geoduck, Goosefish, Herrings, Lobster, Pacific Cod, Pacific Ocean Perch, Pollock, Sablefish, Salmon, Sole, Squid, Tuna, and Turbot.

UPDATE JULY 31, 2020: Oregon’s Spend Plan for funding was just approved by NOAA and we anticipate PSMFC will begin the one-month application process in early August. At that time, PSMFC will post the approved Spend Plan and application materials, and ODFW will post a link to the PSMFC website. PSMFC will also mail postcards to ODFW, OSMB or ODA license holders that may be eligible to apply.

On July 16, 2020 Ed Bowles of ODFW presented information about the CARES act funding for fisheries businesses.

This document was updated on June 18, 2020. Guidance regarding financial relief for the impacts of COVID-19 is rapidly changing. Please check appropriate state and federal websites
frequently for the most updated information.

"U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today unveiled a one-stop-shop of federal programs that can be used by rural communities, organizations and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide (PDF, 349 KB) is a first-of-its-kind resource for rural leaders looking for federal funding and partnership opportunities to help address this pandemic."

"The situation around COVID-19 (novel coronavirus disease) in Oregon continues to evolve. Governor Kate Brown has a webpage capturing statewide and federal recommendations and updates." (Updated regularly; last updated 4/10)

Video of webinar on "CARES Act 101 for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Seafood Businesses."
Copy and paste this link for an accompanying Q and A document: http://nsglc.olemiss.edu/covid19/files/qa-caresact101.pdf

"A clearinghouse of reliable information on CARES Act programs and other issues associated with COVID-19 for the fishing, aquaculture, and seafood industries. This page is updated frequently as questions are received and resources come online."

"Business Oregon collaborated with the Oregon Employment Department, the Secretary of State's Office and the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to create a Small Business Navigator. The tool includes a hotline and a website containing comprehensive information on key programs for small businesses impacted by COVID-19."

SBA Loan summaries.

The 'CARES Act Tip sheet for Self Employed Individuals’ prepared by the National Sea Grant Law Center that synthesizes much of the information presented in their webinars into a quick Q&A style reference.

Meeting announcement and agenda for ODCC virtual Public Meeting on March 29, 2021.

At these meetings, ODFW will describe the newly adopted regulations to address whale entanglement that will be in place for the upcoming commercial crab season starting Dec. 1. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted these rules at their Sept. 11 meeting in addition to rules which better align ODFW’s crab biotoxin rules with those of the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Meeting agenda for ODCC Conference Call Public Meeting on June 26, 2020.

Meeting Minutes from public meeting at Coos Bay office and via Zoom.

Meeting minutes from public meeting held in Brookings.

If you were unable to attend the ODCC meeting held in Newport, OR on March 3, 2019, but are interested in some of the commission's marketing efforts over the past several months please check out the link to the PowerPoint slides from the report.

On Thursday, November 2nd, 2017, John Sackton delivered his presentation on the outlook of the Dungeness crab fishery for 2018.

This is the Market Report that was video taped and put on YouTube

Any member of the fleet can now get information texted directly to their cell phones from the commission. Click on the link for more information.

The U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center has completed its Maritime Safety Information upgrade in the Pacific Northwest and now offers Broadcast Notice to Mariners via email in addition to radio broadcasts. Notices are divided in to three sectors, mariners can subscribe to any or all:
Sector North Bend – Southern and central Oregon coast and rivers
Sector Columbia River – Northern Oregon coast, southern and central Washington coast, Columbia, Snake, and Willamette Rivers
Sector Puget Sound – Northern Washington coast, Strait of Juan de Fuca, San Juan Islands and neighboring straits, Puget Sound, and Lake Washington

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is sending this industry notice as a reminder of the whale entanglement mitigation measures that will be in place May 1, 2021.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission (OFWC) adopted regulatory changes to address whale entanglements at their September 11, 2020 virtual meeting.

All of the materials from this meeting, including the background, rationale, and rule language are located here:
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/commission/minutes/. The first notice of these changes was mailed to all permit holders and crab buyers on September 25, 2020 and is posted on our website here
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/shellfish/commercial/crab/whale_entanglement.asp.

The measures include:
Reduced pot limits by 20% combined with a 40 fathom depth restriction and a required late-season buoy tag in addition to primary season tag (order form is attached to the link).

The Port of Coos Bay learned through Representative Peter DeFazio’s office that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Workplan includes $34.65 Million to Repair Coos Bay’s North Jetty. The funding will cover the completion of all environmental work and contracting and construction for the Jetty head only. Repairs to the Jetty trunk and root will come in following years.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted new regulations for the ocean commercial crab fishery at its meeting on September 11, 2020. The Commission listened to testimony and discussed alternatives arriving at the adopted regulatory package of 20% pot limit reduction as of May 1, inside of 40 fathoms, over a 3-season evaluation period (sunset). All other measures to reduce risk were adopted as recommended. Click on the headline to read the industry notice, which contains the details of the adopted regulations and how to implement them this coming crab season. These regulations, along with the regulations adopted in September 2019 (gear marking, electronic tickets, etc.), will be the core of the Conservation Plan we submit to NOAA (winter 2021), in order to be considered for an Incidental Take Permit. The industry notice also announces the dates of our upcoming industry public meetings – Oct 8th and 22nd, by virtual meeting. Lastly, the industry notice provides a heads up to the fleet about changes to pre-season testing procedures in response to COVID transmission concerns. Our plans are still evolving but we are working to limit interaction between ODFW staff and vessel crews, while still providing assurance that testing is valid.

New temporary rules notice, and target dates for re-scheduling proposal of phase II whale entanglement mitigation regulatory package to the
OFWC (for proposed implementation next crab season 2020-21).

Illness of a person onboard any vessel that may adversely affect the safety of a vessel or port facility is a hazardous condition per 33 CFR 160.216 and must be reported immediately to the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP). Cases of persons who exhibit symptoms consistent with COVID-19 must be reported to the COTP.

The Coast Guard considers it a hazardous condition under 33 CFR 160.216 if anyone, regardless of where they have been or who they have interacted with, shows symptoms of COVID-19 or other flu like illness. This requires immediate notification to the nearest Coast Guard COTP.

As discussions of offshore wind development in the U.S. continue to progress, Pacific fishermen have expressed significant concern over the lack of communication and collaboration necessary to inform coexistence among ocean users. The RODA-Pacific Advisory Committee is comprised of leaders from several West Coast fisheries throughout California and Oregon. Its purpose is to improve science and policy approaches to development, while also increasing and improving communication to help strengthen ties between Pacific fishermen and fishing communities across the country.

The focus of Phase II whale entanglement management measures is to help reduce risk of whale entanglements in crab gear by reducing the number of vertical lines in the water. To prepare for Phase II recommendations to the OFWC, the ODFW is hosting four regional Dungeness crab public industry meetings to solicit targeted input.

The OSU buoy off Coos Bay/Charleston (our designation CB06, USCG designator LLNR 612) stopped reporting via cell phone and 2 separate satellite systems on Saturday night, 4/6, about 8PM. This was during a stretch of nasty weather. The USCG has done a fly-over of the deployment location and not seen the buoy. (Click link for pic)

We would appreciate hearing of any sitings and locations.The last reported location from the buoy itself Saturday night 8PM was 43 deg 17.805 min N, 124 deg 32.051 min W.

Thanks!!
Please contact Mike Kosro, Professor at kosro@coas.oregonstate.edu or call 541-737-3079.

Anchored receivers are being deployed off of Reedsport again this year. The anchored receivers will be out for about 3 weeks. They record fish that are carrying acoustic transmitters

Currently there are several vacancies on the Commercial Fishery Permit boards and ODFW is hoping that permit holders are interested in serving as a member of a Commercial Fishery Permit Board. If you know of someone that would be an ideal candidate for one of the public positions, please have them contact ODFW for an application.

Materials available from the Workshop in April

Lakeside/Reedsport Research Buoy location and notification

Megalope return study of 2020, released in April of 2021.

This is the second paper from a genetics project on Dungeness crab larval recruits, and has been published in Marine Ecology Progress Series (PDF attached):

Fine-scale spatial and temporal genomic variation among Dungeness crab Cancer magister larval recruits in the California Current Ecosystem. Elizabeth M. J. Lee*, Kathleen G. O’Malley
State Fisheries Genomics Lab, Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife,
Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon 97365, USA

Megalope return study of 2019, released in April of 2020.

This memorandum is to briefly describe results from using the Oregon Dungeness crab bio-economic model to assess economic impacts from proposed measures to reduce risk of fisheries gear whale entanglements.

Report generated from the ODCC's funded research to produce a Bio-Economic model for the Oregon Dungeness crab fishery.

Original RFP for research study

By Noelle Yochum, 2014

Proposal from OSU

Megalope return study

Megalope return study

Thesis defense on Dungeness study

Dr. Alan Shanks study for the commission

ODA Dungeness testing results

Newsletter for the Oregon Dungeness crab fleet - dated July 17, 2020 (printable PDF version)

Newsletter for the Oregon Dungeness crab fleet - dated October 16, 2019 (printable PDF version)

Newsletter for the Oregon Dungeness crab fleet - dated August 2, 2019 (printable PDF version)

Newsletter for the Oregon Dungeness crab fleet - dated February 25, 2019.

Newsletter for our crab fishermen, Issue four - dated November 26, 2018.

Newsletter for our crab fishermen, Issue three - dated August 24, 2018.

Newsletter for our crab fishermen. Dated April 3, 2018

Newsletter for our crab fishermen. Issue one - dated December 5, 2017.

The 2019-20 Oregon Dungeness crab season brought in $72.7 million dollars ex-vessel value, the second highest grossing season on record! Despite a challenging year for the seafood industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, crab landings totaled just under 20.0 million pounds, approximately 12% above the 10-year average of 17.6 million pounds.

The 2018-19 Oregon Dungeness crab season "brought in $66.7 million dollars ex-vessel value, the second highest grossing season on record! Landings totaled 18.7 million pounds, approximately 9% above the 10-year average of 17.0 million pounds."

The season "brought in a record breaking 74.2 million dollar ex-vessel value! Landings totaled 23.1 million pounds, about 31% above the 10-year average of 16 million pounds..."

"The 2016-17 Oregon Dungeness crab season brought in the highest ex-vessel value ever, totaling $62.7 million dollars! Landings totaled 20.4 million pounds, about 22% above the 10 year average of 16.0 million pounds..."