California Dungeness Crab Fishery to Remain Closed
Fishing Season Delayed Statewide for Sixth Consecutive Year to Protect Whales from Entanglement
Press Release Date: November 21, 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 it will further delay the season opener for the commercial Dungeness crab fishery off the central and southern coasts (in fishing zones 3-6) and implement the first delay of the season for the north coast (fishing zones 1 and 2). The recreational Dungeness crab trap prohibition will also continue off the central coast (fishing zones 3 and 4). The decision is based on the high number of whales recently entangled and surveys showing a high number of whales currently present off the central and northern California coasts. In addition to this, crab in some parts of the north coast tested for domoic acid—a neurotoxin produced by algae— at levels unsafe for human consumption.
According to CDFW, between May and October 2024, four humpback whales were confirmed entangled in California commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear and an additional eight humpback whales were entangled in unknown fishing gear that may be Dungeness crab gear. In 2023, seven whales were confirmed entangled in California commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear, in addition to a critically endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle that was entangled in the gear and drowned. In 2022, four whales were confirmed entangled in California commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear. Off California, one of the humpback whale populations is listed as endangered and the other is threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Historically, the commercial Dungeness crab season off the central and southern California coasts commences November 15 and the northern region opens December 1. The Department is currently scheduled to conduct another risk assessment on December 4 to inform a potential December 15 opener.
Geoff Shester, Oceana’s California campaign director and senior scientist, released the following statement in response:
“We support the decision by the Department of Fish and Wildlife to delay the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery to protect whales currently feeding off California’s coast. The number of whales recently entangled in fishing gear is three times higher than what is allowed under the statewide Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program. The alarming trend of whale entanglements means the current management system is not working. What we need is stronger pre-emptive action. Instead, the Department of Fish and Wildlife is proposing to weaken elements of its Whale Safe Fisheries program, and several critical measures are being delayed—including proper gear marking, electronic vessel tracking, and the authorization of pop-up fishing gear. We can and must do better for the whales and the 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 the rope and buoy to surface so fishermen can retrieve the catch. Fishermen using pop-up gear last spring through Sub Sea Sonics/Guardian Ropeless Systems 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 would 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.
