California delays commercial Dungeness crab season

(CN) — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Friday cited a large number of humpback whales and recent entanglements as the reason for the postponing the state’s commercial Dungeness crab season.

The affected area ranges from the Sonoma-Mendocino county line in Northern California to the U.S.-Mexico border. Originally set to open Nov. 15, a new start date is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 1. However, that’s dependent on a November risk assessment and the fish and wildlife director’s determination of risk for Dungeness crab fisheries.

The northernmost fishing zones, from the Oregon-California border to the Sonoma-Mendocino county line, can’t open until Dec. 1 and weren’t included in Friday’s decision.

Department Director Charlton Bonham in his decision listed the frequency of whale sightings as the impetus for delaying the season’s start.

Midmonth aerial surveys by different agencies showed around 100 humpback whales in Fishing Zone 3, between the Sonoma-Mendocino county line and Pigeon Point — an area that includes the San Francisco Bay. A survey spotted over 70 humpback whales in Fishing Zone 4, between Pigeon Point and Lopez Point.

Additionally, information gathered from Zone 4 whale-watching trips over the summer and fall showed a continued humpback whale presence, with a weekly average in Monterey Bay of 22.1 whales.

“I must implement a protective management action in the commercial Dungeness crab fishery,” Bonham wrote.

A risk assessment report released this week by Bonham’s department showed that several humpback whale entanglements have occurred since the 2023-24 fishing season ended.

Friday’s decision also affects the recreational Dungeness crab season, though it doesn’t postpone its Nov. 2 start date. Instead, recreational crabbers are prohibited from using traps in Zones 3 and 4 because of the humpback whales’ presence. The use of hoop nets and crab snares isn’t affected by the trap prohibition.

Recreational crab traps are allowed in Fishing Zones 1 and 2 — the northernmost California coast. They’re also allowed in Zone 5, between Lopez Point and Point Conception. No traps are allowed south of Zone 5.

Additionally, Bonham issued a fleet advisory in all fishing zones for recreational use — meaning people should use best practices to reduce marine life entanglement.

Bob Gundy, oceans campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement that he’s pleased the state is implementing precautions ahead of Dungeness crab season. However, the advent of pop-up gear makes season delays “archaic.”

“If California had already authorized using pop-up gear, which performed really well in tests, crab fishers could be prepping to put their traps in the water right now,” Gundy said. “Instead, everybody’s frustrated and whales will still face entanglement risk from traditional lines when the season finally opens.”

Pop-up gear is a kind of trap that needs no lines or rope connecting it to a buoy. Instead, acoustic signals are used to bring a submerged trap to the surface. Proponents say the technology reduces entanglements.

Whale sightings have led to delays in Dungeness crab season before. Last season, it was pushed back several weeks before fully opening in January.

It was the growing number of entanglements on the West Coast over the past several years that led the fish and wildlife department to take steps.

The Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program was one of them. Created in 2020, that program is used to assess entanglement risk for humpback and blue whales, along with sea turtles.

As risk increases, the department uses a working group to review information. It could then take steps like issuing fleet advisories and fishery closures.