The commercial Dungeness crab season will not be opening as planned on Friday. The state’s Department of Fish and Wildlifedelayed the opening along the central and southern coast. It will reassess the commercial season in late November for a possible December 1 opening.
The recreational Dungeness crab season will open as scheduled on November 5. However, individuals may only use hoop nets, crab snares, or other methods aside from crab traps.
Last year’s Dungeness season was closed early after two humpback whales were entangled in commercial crab fishing gear. And this is the fourth consecutive year that concerns over entanglements have forced the agency to delay the season opening.
A number of studies have linked climate change to an uptick in whale entanglements. Rising ocean temperatures have reduced populations of fish that whales eat,forcing them to forage closer to shore, where they are more likely to encounter fishing gear.
The agency is following the state’s Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program regulations, which require it to restrict Dungeness crab fishing when whales are present and the risk of entanglement is high.
