State officials announced Wednesday that Dungeness crab season will be allowed to open Jan. 5 in California’s northernmost counties — Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte.
However, commercial crabbing in the rest of the state, from the Sonoma/Mendocino count line south to the Mexican border, will remain on hold because of the risk of migrating humpback whales becoming tangled in fishing lines.
The decision was made in consultation with representatives of the fishing industry, environmental organizations and scientists. The next risk assessment will take place Jan. 11, officials said.
Fleets in the far north will be allowed to drop their crab pots on Jan. 2.
Traditionally, California’s commercial season begins Nov. 15 and the recreational season earlier than that.
Since 2015, there have been delays in all but one commercial Dungeness season in the Bay Area. A toxin, domoic acid, that could sicken anyone who eats the tainted crab destroyed Northern California’s 2015-2016 commercial season and created delays in other years.
In 2018, the commercial season began without a hitch although recreational crabbers had to postpone their fishing.
In 2019 and 2020, the fishing line danger to whales resulted in a crabbing delay of several weeks. The 2020 crabbing season was officially set to begin Dec. 23, but price negotiations between crab fleets and seafood processors delayed the start until early January 2021.
With delays to protect whales, the truncated 2021-22 season ran from Dec. 29 to April 8, and the 2022-23 season from Dec. 31 to this past April 15.
This is a developing story. Come back for updates.
