The U.S. state of California will open the central section of its coast to commercial Dungeness crab fishers on 5 January after delaying the season opening due to the presence of whales.
“Setting the opening date of the Dungeness crab fishery is never easy. The commercial Dungeness crab fishery is inherently complex, and careful consideration is required to ensure we are supporting California’s fishing communities while also reducing risk of entanglement of whales and sea turtles off our coast,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton Bonham said in a release. “CDFW is grateful for the collaborative effort between commercial and recreational fishermen, environmental groups, scientists, and agency partners that support our work in managing this iconic West Coast fishery.”
Delays to the season start have become common in Pacific Dungeness crab fisheries as regulators work to prevent whale entanglements, wait for domoic acid levels to drop, or wait for meat yields to reach the regulatory threshold. California first announced that it would be pushing back the season start to 2026 in October after detecting a high number of whales active in designated fishing zones.
Now, state regulators have determined that enough whales have left the area to begin setting a limited number of traps. CDFW will allow pre-soaking in fishing zones 3, 4, and 5 to begin 2 January, and fishers will be allowed to begin harvesting 5 January. However, commercial operations will be subject to a 40 percent reduction in traps to help reduce the risk of whale entanglements.
The northern part of the fishery – zones 1 and 2 – will remain closed through at last 15 January after testing revealed high levels of domoic acid. If those levels are lowered below the threshold, the commercial season in zones 1 and 2 will open 15 January with a 15 percent reduction in traps.
State regulators said the trap reductions struck a necessary balance between the needs of commercial fishers to get out on the water and the need to reduce the risk of entanglements.
“The commercial fishing fleet has always been both a producer of sustainable seafood that feeds our communities and coastal economies and a steward of the ocean we depend on for our lives and livelihoods. Hard work and sacrifices by the fleet have reduced entanglements even as whale populations have grown, and we appreciate CDFW for recognizing that progress and responding by opening the season with additional opportunity,” Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations Executive Director Lisa Damrosch said in a release. “This opening reflects a careful balance and shows what is possible through shared effort to thread the needle within the system we are operating under.”
Conservation NGO Oceana praised CDFW’s decision to reduce the number of traps in the water while continuing to advocate for the wider adoption of pop-up, or ropeless, gear that reduces the risk of entanglements. California has authorized a pilot program for the last two years where participating commercial fishers can continue harvesting crab in the spring after the regular season ends as long as they use pop-up gear.
“This is the right move to balance healthy fisheries and safe waters for wildlife. We support the department’s decision to cautiously open the commercial crab fishery in Central California with a 40 percent gear reduction to minimize the risk of fatal entanglements for whales,” Oceana Senior Scientist Geoff Shester said in a release. “Entanglements off California remain high, so the state will need to shorten the upcoming season for conventional crab traps with vertical lines. We’re thrilled that California is on track to authorize the use of innovative pop-up gear for commercial Dungeness crab fishing this spring, which is part of the solution for both the fishery and wildlife. The recent tragic death of an entangled humpback whale off Oregon is the latest dramatic reminder of what’s at stake with vertical line fishing. We need coastwide solutions to what is clearly a coastwide problem.”
