Quick Take
Holiday crab feasts are off the menu for now. California has delayed the commercial and sport Dungeness crab seasons along much of the coast, including Santa Cruz County, until at least Jan. 1, 2027, because of continued whale entanglements in fishing gear.
Anyone holding out hope for a holiday crab feast needs to make other plans. The commercial and recreational Dungeness crab seasons won’t open before the end of the year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday.
Crab fishing using traditional pots is prohibited from the Oregon border to south of Morro Bay, including the coast off of Santa Cruz County, until at least Jan. 1, 2027. Sport fishing using other methods, such as hoop nets and snares, is allowed after this Saturday, Nov. 7.
This is the seventh consecutive year that the CDFW has delayed the opening of the Dungeness crab season from its traditional start date of Nov. 15 to protect sealife. Migrating whales traveling south along the coast can become entangled in the fishing lines, which connect crab traps resting on the seafloor to buoys on the surface.
So far this year, three whales have been confirmed entangled in California crab fishing gear and two in recreational gear. The entanglements prompted the CDFW to delay the season until more whales have left the area.
Pop-ups traps, a new technology that limits the risk to sealife, are not approved for winter crabbing. The CDFW allows commercial fishers to use pop-up or “on demand” gear in the spring after the traditional season has closed.
The CDFW will reassess the risk on Dec. 18 and decide whether the season will open in January.
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