Dungeness crab fishery delayed till after the new year as whale entanglements hit a six-year high
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Preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports 34 whales were found entangled in fishing gear off the West Coast in 2024, the highest number reported since 2018.
The California Dungeness crab fishery has been associated with the most confirmed entanglements, though a California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group made up of fishermen, marine biologists, environmental group representatives and scientists and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have been working the last several years to reduce the number of whales that get themselves snarled in gear.
One change has been to implement criteria for when the crab fishing season can start off in California based on whether whales are spotted in the area. The wildlife department has pushed the opening date of the commercial season three times this year, but now has set Jan. 5 for when fishers can drop their pots in waters between the Sonoma-Mendocino county line and the U.S.-Mexico border. Recreational crabbers will be allowed an earlier start on Jan. 2.
