Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishing Opportunity Continues in Northern Management Area, will Close in Central Management Area to Protect Whales from Entanglement

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 15:05:48 GMT

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program (RAMP) and announced changes to both commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries in the Central Management Area. These changes, which will go into effect at 6 p.m. on May 1, 2025, are intended to minimize entanglement risk as humpback whales return to forage off the coast of California.

The commercial fishery will close in Fishing Zone 3 (Sonoma/Mendocino County line, 38°46.125' N Latitude, to Pigeon Point, 37°11' N Latitude), at which time the commercial take and possession of Dungeness crab from those waters is prohibited. The commercial fishery will remain open in Fishing Zones 1 and 2 (California/Oregon border to the Sonoma/Mendocino County line 38°46.125' N Latitude) under existing trap reductions and depth constraints. Fishing Zones 4-6 (Pigeon Point to the U.S./Mexico border) were closed for the commercial season on April 15, 2025.

A recreational crab trap restriction will be extended to include Fishing Zone 3. A crab trap restriction was implemented in Fishing Zone 4 (Pigeon Point to Lopez Point, 36°00' N Latitude, Monterey County) on April 15, 2025. CDFW reminds recreational crabbers that take of Dungeness crab by other methods (including hoop nets and crab snares) is allowed through the close of the season.

All open Fishing Zones remain under a Fleet Advisory for both the commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries. CDFW also reminds all fishery participants to implement best practices, as described in the Best Practices Guide.

Commercial Dungeness crab vessels are authorized to retrieve an unlimited number of commercial Dungeness crab traps which are lost, damaged, abandoned or otherwise derelict in Fishing Zone 3 starting at 6 a.m. on May 8, 2025. In Fishing Zones 4-6, permitted Dungeness crab vessels were authorized to retrieve an unlimited number of lost, damaged, abandoned, or otherwise derelict traps on April 22, 2025. CDFW requests that individuals regularly report retrieved gear to WhaleSafeFisheries@wildlife.ca.gov. Any vessel operating or transiting in an open Fishing Zone may not possess more than six traps belonging to another vessel, pursuant to Title 14, California Code of Regulations, Section 132.2(a)(2)(A). In addition, CDFW has authorized the Lost and Abandoned Gear Retrieval Program to begin removing commercial Dungeness crab traps left in the water beginning May 8, 2025, at 6 a.m. in Fishing Zone 3. In Fishing Zones 4-6, retrieval operations began on April 22, 2025.

CDFW anticipates the next risk assessment will take place in early May 2025. For more information related to the risk assessment process or trap gear retrieval, please visit CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries page. For more information on the Dungeness crab fishery, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/crab.

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Media Contacts:
Ryan Bartling, CDFW Marine Region, (415) 238-2638
Steve Gonzalez, CDFW Communications, (916) 804-1714

CDFW Expands Partial Recreational Crab Trap Restriction and Delays Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery Due to Poor Meat Quality and Whale Entanglement Risk

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 15:25:58 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is continuing the temporary recreational crab trap restriction (PDF) from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to Lopez Point (Fishing Zones 3 and 4) and expanding the restriction to the California/Oregon state line to Cape Mendocino (Fishing Zone 1) due to presence of humpback whales and the potential for entanglement from trap gear. The recreational trap restriction for Fishing Zone 1 will go into effect on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, at 6 p.m. and continue in Zones 1, 3 and 4 until at least the next risk assessment. This means recreational crabbers must remove all traps in Zone 1 by the time the restriction goes into effect. CDFW reminds recreational crabbers that take of Dungeness crab by other methods, including hoop nets and crab snares, is allowed during a temporary trap restriction. The use of recreational crab traps in Fishing Zones 2 and 5 is still allowed. In addition, the Fleet Advisory issued for all Fishing Zones (1-6) for the recreational fishery remains in effect. CDFW encourages recreational crabbers to implement best practices, as described in the Best Practices Guide (PDF).

Pursuant to Fish and Game Code section 8672.2, CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham delayed the northern California commercial Dungeness crab season (PDF), which had been scheduled to open on Dec. 1, 2023, due to poor crab meat quality test results (PDF) for Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties (Fishing Zones 1 and 2). The commercial Dungeness crab fishery in this area will be delayed until at least 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, pending another round of meat quality testing.

The commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Fishing Zones 3-6 will also remain delayed due to the presence of high numbers of humpback whales and the potential for entanglement with lines and traps in this fishery.

CDFW anticipates the next risk assessment will take place on or around Dec. 7, 2023, at which time Director Bonham will re-evaluate the temporary recreational crab trap restrictions and commercial fishery delay. That risk assessment is expected to inform the potential for a commercial fishery opener and modification of the recreational trap restriction. For more information related to the risk assessment process, please visit CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries page or more information on the Dungeness crab fishery, please visit wildlife.ca.gov/crab.

Media Contacts:
Ryan Bartling, CDFW Marine Region, (415) 238-2638
Jordan Traverso, CDFW Communications, (916) 212-7352

CDFW News

Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishing Opportunity Continues in Northern Management Area, will Close in Central Management Area to Protect Whales from Entanglement

CDFW Expands Partial Recreational Crab Trap Restriction and Delays Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery Due to Poor Meat Quality and Whale Entanglement Risk