The U.S. state of California has shut down the central portion of its coastal waters to Dungeness crab fishing due to the presence of humpback whales.
This comes after authorities closed the southern portion of the fishery earlier this month.
State regulators have frequently been forced to delay the California commercial Dungeness crab fishery – or close it early – due to the presence of humpback whales, which risk entanglement in the fishery's vertical lines. The 2024-2025 season was delayed for weeks, and now, regulators have begun closing parts of the fishery early.
On 15 April, the state closed Dungeness crab fishing in zones 4, 5, and 6 after detecting a high number of whales in those areas. However, the commercial season was allowed to continue in the northern three zones.
Now, after detecting a large number of whales in Fishing Zone 4 recently, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton Bonham has decided to close Fishing Zone 3 as well.
“On 6 April 2025, a NOAA aerial survey observed 23 humpback whales in Fishing Zone 3. Additionally, on 8 April 2025, a Cascadia Research vessel survey observed 53 humpback whales within Fishing Zone 3. Pursuant to [state regulations], I must implement a Fishing Zone closure or other protective management action in the commercial Dungeness crab fishery,” Bonham said in an 21 April notice.
The closure comes just a couple weeks after NOAA’s Large Whale Entanglement Response Network was able to disentangle a humpback whale in Monterey Bay wrapped in crab gear from the California Dungeness crab fishery. Another entangled whale was sighted in Monterey Bay shortly after.
Conservation NGO Oceana criticized the state government for not closing the Dungeness crab fishery earlier.
“Sadly, this month’s entanglement of a humpback whale in California Dungeness crab gear was 100 percent avoidable and is clear evidence the fishery was not closed soon enough, as we feared,” Oceana California Campaign Director Geoff Shester said in a statement. “Year after year, the commercial Dungeness crab fishery has stayed open too late into the season, resulting in excessive entanglements of humpback whales in vertical fishing lines as the animals return to feed in the highly productive waters off the state, putting the long-term prospects for both the fishery and recovering whale populations at risk. California’s plan to save whales from becoming entangled in crabbing gear does not go far enough to protect these majestic animals.”
Observers were able to confirm 36 whale entanglements in 2024.
Shester called on CDFW to establish shorter, fixed seasons that don’t overlap with the presence of whales, establish strict multi-year limits on entanglements, and allow for alternative pop-up, or ropeless, gear when the fishery is closed to traditional gear.
However, the state and federal governments are not heading in the right direction for protecting the whales, Shester noted.
“Despite this, the Department is alarmingly slated to weaken the current regulations in upcoming seasons, and the Trump Administration’s latest cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are indefinitely postponing the inclusion of state-managed Dungeness crab fisheries from the scope of its upcoming West Coast Take Reduction Team charged with reducing whale entanglements. With the current level of entanglements and no Take Reduction Plan, there is no path for the Dungeness crab fishery to come into compliance with federal law,” Shester said.
CDFW has slated its next risk assessment for the Dungeness crab fishery on or around 2 May.
