On December 16, Oregon will begin a commercial Dungeness crab fishing from Cape Falcon south to the California border.
On December 13, the commercial fleet can start putting baited crab pots in the water here.
Because of the poor meat production, areas north of Cape Falcon will be closed until at least December 31. In cooperation with southern Washington state, the season will begin.
For the third time this year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife issued an order on Friday to postpone the state’s commercial Dungeness crab fishing season.
Director Charlton H. Bonham said that following an evaluation last week, officials concluded that there is still a high risk of migratory whales being tangled in crab fishing gear in the majority of coastal waters from the Mendocino County line south to the Mexican border.
The whales will have more time to safely travel to their winter breeding areas thanks to the postponement.
Crabbers may have enough time to set traps for a Dec. 31 season opener if enough whales have gone south by the time CDFW authorities plan another assessment for the week of Dec. 15.
While recreational crabbing was permitted earlier in 2023, the 2023–24 commercial season did not begin at all. On Jan. 18, 2024, fishermen raised the first crab pots. April 8 marked the early end of the season.
Scientists, environmental groups, and fishing industry representatives are consulted when the state makes decisions.
Four examples of whales becoming entangled in commercial gear have been proven so far this year, and residual gear is suspected in multiple other cases, according to scientist Geoff Shester of the nonprofit conservation organization Oceana, who participated in those discussions. According to Shester, the total number of West Coast residents is at its highest level in six years.
Instead of using traditional vertical lines, Oceana and other environmentalists are promoting the use of ropeless gear.
Traditionally, the recreational season starts earlier than Nov. 15, while the commercial season starts on Nov. 15. All but one of the Bay Area’s commercial Dungeness seasons have been postponed since 2015. The 2015–2016 commercial season in Northern California was ruined by domoic acid, a toxin that may make anyone who consumes the contaminated crab sick, and other years saw delays.
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