Commercial Dungeness Crab Season Delayed By Whales, Meat Quality

CALIFORNIA — Commercial Dungeness crab season along the California coast is delayed until at least mid-December, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Tuesday.

The original opening date of Dec. 1 has been pushed to Dec. 16 because of various factors, including whale presence and low-quality crab meat.

In the CDFW's central management area, from Point Arena to the Mexico border, whales remain in the crab fishing area, resulting in a potential for entanglement. In early December, the department will reassess entanglement risk and whale presence.

In addition to whale presence, meat quality testing in crabs in the CDFW's northern management area has shown that the crabs will not be ready to be fished until mid-December.

"Our hope is both quality testing and additional marine life survey data will support a unified statewide opener on Dec. 16, just in time to have crab for the holidays and New Year," CDFW Director Charlton Bonham said.

CDFW said in partnership with researchers, federal agencies and the fishing industry, it has conducted surveys from the Oregon state line to the Channel Islands to observe marine life concentrations.

Five aerial survey have been conducted since late October, and more than 10 vessel-based surveys have been conducted by researchers and the fishing industry, CDFW said. Additional sources of data include observations from a network spread across three national marine sanctuaries.

To determine the risk assessment prior to Dec. 16, CDFW said aerial surveys are planned again the first week of December.

"When the data indicates the whales have migrated out of the fishing grounds, CDFW stands ready to open the commercial season," the agency said.

More information on Dungeness crab can be found online at Wildlife.ca.gov/crab.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.