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