California Dungeness crab opening date announced

(BCN) -- The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday it will open the commercial Dungeness crab fishery from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to the U.S./Mexico border starting on Jan. 5. A pre-soak when crab pots can be baited in the water will begin at 8:01 a.m. Jan. 2 before the fishery opens at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 5.

This area (Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6) will be subject to a 50 percent trap reduction. The trap reduction is expected to reduce entanglement risk for humpback whales by decreasing the amount of gear and vertical lines in the water.

The Dungeness crab season in the Northern Management Area (Zones 1 and 2, California/Oregon Border to the Sonoma/Mendocino County line) will be further delayed due to the inability to conduct industry-sponsored meat quality testing. The season will automatically open at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 15 under a 25 percent trap reduction in both Fishing Zones. A pre-soak period will begin at 8:01 a.m. Jan. 12.

CDFW said the crab quality delay triggers the fair start provision under Fish and Game Code 8279.1. Under fair start, a vessel is prohibited from taking, possessing onboard, or landing crab in an area previously delayed for a period of 30 days from the date of the opening if that vessel previously participated in other commercial Dungeness crab fishing areas (including those in Oregon and Washington) during the same season.

CDFW officials said while Dungeness crab has historically been available in time for the December holidays, the presence of whales in the fishing areas and entanglements in fishing gear have delayed the season opening in the past several years.

Last season, the northern fishing zones opened Jan. 5, while the central zones were delayed until Jan. 18. Despite the shortened seasons, the California Dungeness crab fishery remains one of the state's most lucrative, averaging close to $45 million per year over the last five years, consistent with historical averages.

"Making the decision on when to open the Dungeness crab fishery is never an easy one," CDFW Director Charlton Bonham said in a statement. "It requires careful consideration of the need to protect endangered species while sustaining the livelihood of California's fishing communities."

Bonham said his action strikes a balance between the needs of the fishery and the needs of California's marine species.

"Reducing the number of traps in the water is a successful management measure we have utilized before," Bonham said. "Applying this protective and precautionary measure to the Northern Management Area allows the fishery to open as early as possible and will minimize the risk of entanglements statewide."

CDFW officials said managing the fishery to also protect whales and sea turtles has become a collaborative effort between commercial and recreational fishermen, environmental groups, scientists, and agency partners.

One environmental group, the Center for Biological Diversity, expressed concern Friday that even the delayed opening of the fishery season will impact other marine wildlife.

"I'm worried that opening the commercial Dungeness crab fishery, even in January, will worsen California's deadly whale entanglement problem, which is already at a crisis point," said Ben Grundy, oceans campaigner with the group. "Entanglement numbers are higher than they've been in years, and officials can't confidently identify when and where they're happening, so they can't really say the coast is clear. The best solution for protecting whales is to start fishing with pop-up gear, and the state should authorize its use as soon as possible."

This year's fishery opener builds off over five years of efforts that entailed close to 150 meetings of the Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group, more than 50 risk assessments, and aerial surveys covering more than 20,000 miles of California's coast.

The state has invested over $6 million to address entanglement risk through CDFW and the California Ocean Protection Council. These funds enabled the purchase and outfitting of electronic monitoring units for the fleet, line to support gear marking programs, the development and application of new tools to evaluate risk, and the expansion of alternative gear testing.

For more information on the Dungeness crab fishery, people can visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab.

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