Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon crabbers are helping researchers collect data on the ocean’s temperature and oxygen levels. The unusual collaboration could help solve some of the mysteries off the Oregon coast. KLCC’s Rachael McDonald reports.

Scientists at Oregon State University are measuring ocean temperature by having ten crabbers attach quarter-sized sensors to their pots.

Graduate Student Jeremy Childress says the researchers are also collecting crab numbers.

Jeremy Childress: “So we can hopefully in the future after we’ve been running this program for a number of years see some correlation between how many crab are being caught and what the temperature’s look like over a long period of time.”

Scientists also wonder why there are some “dead zones” in the ocean where oxygen is too low to sustain most life.

One participating crabber has attached cylindrical oxygen sensors to his pots.

Childress says crab pots are distributed throughout Oregon’s coastal zone, so the data can be gathered from a broad geographical range.

The project is funded by Oregon Sea Grant.