Quick Take
On Nov. 21, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will assess the risk of marine entanglement in order to determine whether or not the commercial Dungeness crab fishing season can open in early December. The fishing season has been postponed for the last six years due to an abundance of migrating whales off the coast, which can become entangled in the fishing gear used to harvest crabs.
At the end of next week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will determine whether or not to open the commercial Dungeness crab season on Dec. 1, or postpone it for a second time until at least Dec. 22.
In late October, an initial assessment by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife pushed back the first day of commercial Dungeness crab season from its traditional mid-November opening to Dec. 1 — pending another assessment — due to an abundance of humpback whales off the coast of California. The whales can become entangled in fishing gear used to harvest crabs, and for the past six years, their presence has led to postponing the start of the fishing season well into December and January.
On Friday, the CDFW announced that director Charlton Bonham will conduct a second assessment on the risk of marine entanglement on or around Nov. 21.
The California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group, a committee of commercial and recreation fishers, environmentalists, and representatives from members of the disentanglement network and government agencies, will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 19, to review a preliminary assessment from the CDFW and review available data.
After the assessment, Bonham will consider any management action in order to minimize entanglement risk and determine whether the fishery can open on Dec. 1. If it remains closed, a third assessment will take place Dec. 20 to 22.