The U.S. state of California has delayed the start of the commercial Dungeness crab season until 2026 after regulators detected a high number of humpback whales and the presence of leatherback sea turtles off the coast.
“Another year of a delayed commercial Dungeness crab season is incredibly difficult for our fleet and port communities. However, given the current risk assessment process, the commercial fleet supported this outcome as the most practical path forward,” Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Association (PCFFA) Executive Director Lisa Damrosch said in a release.
Such delays have become commonplace in the state’s Dungeness crab fishery as regulators work to minimize the risk of whales becoming entangled in the vertical lines used by most commercial fishers.
Last year, the season was pushed back from a fall 2024 start to a limited, staggered January 2025 start, with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) waiting until many of the whales had moved out of commercial fishing areas before authorizing fishers to set their traps. The department said this year’s delay will also give both whales and sea turtles time to vacate the area before lines are dropped. Forty-three humpback whales were observed in Fishing Zone 3 on 14 October, and 20 were seen in Fishing Zone 6 on 6 October, according to CDFW Director Charles Bonham.
“CDFW remains steadfast in our commitment to working collaboratively with all sectors to protect whales and turtles from entanglements in fishing gear," Bonham said in a release, noting that the delay was supported by both the PCFFA and the Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group. “Partnerships and collaborations are more important than ever as we work together to protect endangered whales and turtles and our fishing communities in the face of increasing disruptions from our changing climate.”
The next risk assessment of the fishery won’t take place until 19 December.
“We appreciate CDFW and Director Bonham listening to input from the Dungeness Crab Gear Working Group and providing the needed clarity for planning,” Damrosch said. “Although none of this is easy, we thank CDFW for their responsiveness, which reflects the cooperation that will be essential to meeting the challenges ahead for this fishery and our fleet.”
State regulations also require CDFW to delay the commercial season if the rolling average of entanglements over a three-year period exceeds two. An April 2025 NOAA Fisheries report found that 36 whales were confirmed entangled off of the U.S. West Coast in 2024 – the highest number since 2018. Thirty-one of those whales were humpbacks.
Conservation NGO Oceana – which has called on commercial fishers to adopt ropeless gear alternatives – noted that four humpback whales have been confirmed entangled in California Dungeness crab gear in 2025 already.
In response to the latest delay, Oceana again highlighted California’s Spring pilot program, which allows commercial fishers to continue harvesting Dungeness crab with ropeless, or pop-up, gear after waters are closed to traditional gear.
“The commercial Dungeness crab season delay is the best course of action for the fishery and the whales, and it is in direct response to the high numbers of whales entangled this year. The risk that more endangered whales could become entangled in crab gear remains high, so we must redouble our efforts now. But, hope is on the horizon. Following the last few years of successful pop-up gear testing, we are pleased to see the state is on track to approve this innovative, whale-safe fishing gear during the spring months. Pop-up fishing gear can restore fishing opportunities while allowing whales to safely migrate and feed off our shores,” Oceana California Campaign Director and Senior Scientist Geoff Shester said in a release.
