California Delays Dungeness Crab Commercial Season

California Department of Fish and Wildlife director Charlton Bonham delayed the statewide commercial Dungeness crab season that normally begins Nov. 15, and officials will reassess conditions by mid-December to determine whether it can open around the New Year. The postponement responds to numerous entanglements reported this year and a high abundance of humpback and blue whales and leatherback sea turtles in California waters, prompting protections against fishing-gear entanglements. Recreational crabbing will open Nov. 1 in much of the state but is prohibited from the Sonoma–Mendocino county line to the Oregon border because of unhealthy domoic acid; authorities advise against eating crab viscera between the Sonoma–Mendocino line and Point Reyes. Crab traps are temporarily restricted between the Sonoma–Mendocino line and Lopez Point, though hoop nets and crab snares remain allowed with conditions (hoop nets must be checked every two hours), and a Fleet Advisory urges fishers to avoid setting gear where whales are present. Fishing industry groups warned of economic hardship from another delayed season but largely accepted the risk-based decision, while conservationists praised the precaution amid rising entanglements and changing ocean conditions.