Excessive Whale Entanglements Confirmed Off California This Year
Dungeness Crab Fishing Season Delayed for Sixth Consecutive Year Due to Whale Entanglements; More Measures Are Needed to Save Whales
Press Release Date: October 25, 2024
Location: MONTEREY, CALIF.
Contact:
Ashley Blacow | email: ablacow@oceana.org | tel: 1.831.643.9220
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced that the 2024-25 California Dungeness crab fishing season will be delayed because too many humpback whales have been entangled in the fishing gear already this year. The risk of more entanglements is currently high with many whales now feeding off the central California coast. This is the sixth consecutive year that the opening of the commercial crab fishery off central and southern California (in fishing zones 3-6) has been delayed due to whale entanglements. Recreational crab traps will also be prohibited off the central coast (in fishing zones 3 and 4), and a statewide Fleet Advisory is in place until the next Risk Assessment is released next month. The opening of the crab fishery off Northern California will not be assessed until CDFW conducts the next Risk Assessment.
Between May and October 21, 2024, four humpback whales were confirmed entangled in California commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear and an additional ten humpback whales were entangled in unknown fishing gear that may be Dungeness crab gear. Just this week, several entangled whales were sighted in Monterey Bay.
Historically, the commercial Dungeness crab season off the central and southern California coasts commences November 15 and the northern region opens December 1. The next assessment to evaluate whale entanglement risk and to determine whether fishing zones will open is scheduled for on or around November 15.
Caitlynn Birch, Oceana’s campaign manager and marine scientist, released the following statement in response:
“The alarming number of whales entangled in California fishing gear is evidence that we need stronger, pre-emptive actions to provide whales with safe passage off our shores. It’s heartbreaking that right now there are multiple whales entangled in Monterey Bay. Not only is the fate of these whales uncertain, but there could very well be other whales suffering a similar fate. It’s true that many people are working hard to reduce whale entanglements—including by implementing time and area closures, gear reductions, and shortened fishing seasons. But it is also true that there are still too many whales dying entangled in commercial fishing gear and the current management system is not enough. While the Department of Fish and Wildlife is developing a new regulatory package for the crab fishery, some elements pertaining to whale entanglement risk are being weakened, and proper gear marking, electronic vessel tracking, and pop-up fishing gear authorization are all being delayed. We need to do more to strengthen conservation measures and expedite actions that protect whales and the future of California’s crab fishery.”
Background:
According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), roughly 75 percent of reported whale entanglements are fatal as whales can drag heavy fishing gear for months, hindering their ability to dive and feed. This can result in malnutrition, starvation, infection to damaged flukes and even severed appendages and drowning.
Pop-up fishing gear is a way to prevent whale entanglements while providing additional fishing opportunities. The gear stores the rope and buoy with the trap on the seafloor until a release mechanism is triggered that allows a flotation device to surface so fishermen can retrieve the catch. Fishermen using pop-up gear this spring through the California Dungeness crab Experimental Fishing Permit trial demonstrated that the innovative gear is profitable, reliable, and safe for whales, according to results released in August. The pop-up fishing gear (also called “ropeless” or “on-demand”) was tested by 19 commercial California Dungeness crab fishermen who landed a total of 292,000 pounds of crab valued at approximately $1.5M. This was during a time when waters off central California were closed to conventional crab gear to prevent whale entanglements.
The population of humpback whales that breeds in Central American/Southern Mexico—one of two humpback populations that migrates to feed off the California coast—is endangered with extinction under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. According to the 2022 NMFS Humpback Whale Stock Assessment, these humpbacks are seriously injured or killed by human activity at a rate of four times their “Potential Biological Removal,” which is the threshold above which there are population-level impacts that prevent the species from attaining an optimum sustainable population level in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
The California Dungeness crab fishery alone is injuring and killing this endangered whale population at levels three times higher than what would be considered a “Negligible Impact” under the MMPA. The California Dungeness crab fishery has injured and killed endangered humpback whales in numbers that may prevent the state from obtaining a required Incidental Take Permit from NMFS. The three-year average number of humpback whale entanglements for the California Dungeness crab fishery also exceeds CDFW regulatory triggers for management action. Yet, CDFW is proposing to get rid of the three-year average trigger in its upcoming regulatory package, slated for adoption in 2025, and will only consider entanglements in a single calendar year.
Figure. California Dungeness crab fishing zones.
To learn more about Oceana’s campaign for whale safe oceans please visit www.oceana.org/WhaleSafeOceans
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-quarter of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 300 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit Oceana.org to learn more.
