Calif. Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery Delayed to Protect Whales from Entanglement
California’s 2024 commercial Dungeness crab fishery, which had been scheduled to open Nov. 15, has been delayed due to a high abundance of humpback whales and large number of recent entanglements in fishing areas.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Oct. 25 that the commercial Dungeness crab fishery south of the Sonoma/Mendocino County line would not open as scheduled in Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 due to the aforementioned issues regarding whales.
CDFW said that it anticipates the next risk assessment will take place on or around Nov. 15, at which time the agency’s director will re-evaluate risk for the Dungeness crab fisheries.
That risk assessment is expected to inform the potential for a statewide commercial fishery opener on Dec. 1, as well as the potential to modify an existing recreational trap restriction.
The recreational Dungeness crab season opens statewide on Nov. 2, but the use of traps is temporarily prohibited between the Sonoma/Mendocino County line and Lopez Point, Monterey County (Fishing Zones 3 and 4) when the season opens due to presence of humpback whales and potential for entanglement from trap gear.
More information related to the risk assessment process is available at the CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries page: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Whale-Safe-Fisheries.
More information on the Dungeness crab fishery is available at www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab.
