Overview
- NOAA Fisheries linked the entangling lines to Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery, and veterinarians euthanized the juvenile humpback after rescue attempts failed.
- ODFW is assisting the federal investigation, with a necropsy team examining the whale to assess health and factors that led to the stranding.
- Fishery managers from Oregon, California, and Washington are coordinating the commercial Dungeness crab season opening, with an announcement expected Friday.
- Confirmed humpback entanglements have surged since 2014, driven by population growth, prey shifts into nearshore waters, and timing of fixed-gear seasons, with increased reporting also boosting confirmed counts.
- Oregon has cut pot limits, restricted late-season crabbing outside 40 fathoms, and expanded lost-pot removal, and the Fish and Wildlife Commission plans a 2026 review that could add electronic monitoring, experimental pop-up or longline trials, and season-opening criteria.