The presence of humpback whales off the coast of the U.S. state of California has triggered a delay of the state’s commercial Dungeness crab season for the sixth consecutive year.
Commercial harvesting in fishing zones 3, 4, 5, and 6 – which cover the area from the state’s Mexican border north to Gualala, California – was slated to start 15 November, but the fishery will remain closed after state officials detected the presence of a large number of humpback whales in the area. California law requires state regulators to implement protective measures when there is a high risk of humpback whale entanglement.
“On 19 October 2024, aerial surveys undertaken by NOAA researchers observed 108 humpback whales in Fishing Zone 3,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton Bonham said in a notice. “Cascadia Research surveyors observed 99 humpbacks whales in Fishing Zone 3 and 73 humpbacks whales in Fishing Zone 4 during vessel surveys conducted on 11 and 16 October 2024.”
The state will reevaluate the risk of whale entanglements in ...
