The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has implemented temporary rule changes that move late-season whale entanglement risk reduction measures for the 2025-2026 commercial Dungeness crab season up by one month, shifting the start date from May 1 to April 1.
Beginning April 1, commercial crab permit holders will see a 20 percent reduction in pot limits combined with a 40-fathom depth restriction, meaning no gear may be fished beyond 40 fathoms once the late-season measures are in effect.
In addition, all gear in the water must carry a secondary late-season buoy tag, in addition to the primary season tag. Late-season tags are available from ODFW at a cost of $1.15 per tag but cannot be attached to gear before March 1.
ODFW said all commercial crab landings after April 1 will be prohibited unless late-season buoy tags are purchased and properly attached. Gear found without late-season tags or set outside the 40-fathom limit may be retrieved under in-season derelict gear provisions starting April 21.
The department cited record numbers of confirmed humpback whale entanglements in 2024 and 2025, which NOAA Fisheries attributed to Oregon Dungeness crab gear, as the reason for the earlier restrictions. According to ODFW, NOAA confirmed three entanglements in 2024 and four in 2025, including a juvenile humpback whale that stranded alive near Yachats. In each case, entanglements were verified using established confirmation criteria such as photo and video documentation, and in some cases, recovered gear.
ODFW said that while late-season gear restrictions were previously timed to begin in May based on estimates of humpback feeding migrations, more recent research shows entanglement risk peaks in April, prompting the shift to a month earlier.
