California Approves Innovative Whale-Safe Pop-Up Gear for Spring Dungeness Crab Fishery
Commercial crabbing with pop-up gear allowed during seasonal closures after April 1 to protect whales from potential entanglement with crab fishing lines
Press Release Date: February 3, 2026
Location: Sacramento, CA
Contact:
Jamie Karnik | email: jkarnik@oceana.org | tel: Jamie Karnik
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has approved, for the first time, the use of innovative pop-up gear as an “alternative gear” to catch Dungeness crab off California beginning in the spring of 2026. Commercial crabbers can now use pop-up gear to continue fishing during fishery closures each season between April 1 and July 15. This will protect wildlife like endangered humpback whales from entanglements in vertical lines used with conventional crab fishing gear.
Pop-up gear is comprised of strings of multiple crab traps that remain on the seafloor with the associated lines and buoys until a signal from the fishing vessel releases the lines and buoys to the surface for retrieval, thus preventing entanglements of whales and other wildlife.
The gear has been extensively tested, including one CDFW-approved pop-up gear system made by Sub Sea Sonics and Guardian Ropeless under a state experimental fishing permit for the last three years. This testing culminated in 2025 when crabbers deployed and retrieved gear 1,163 times using Sub Sea Sonics/Guardian pop-up gear with a more than 98% reliability rate. They removed 3,760 vertical lines in the water from April to July, bringing in over 217,000 pounds of crab worth an estimated $1.4 million.
“Sub Sea Sonics is proud to be part of the solution that allows fishermen to regain access to the Spring Dungeness Crab fishery with gear that minimizes the risk of entanglement to whales,” said Bart Chadwick with Sub Sea Sonics. “Our team has put our hearts and souls into a multi-year effort to work with all the stakeholders in this process and bring this solution across the finish line. It feels like everyone is a winner.”
Testing efforts were led by crabbers and supported by gear developers, CDFW, the California Fish and Game Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Ocean Protection Council, Oceana, and other conservation organizations.
“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife appreciates the hard work and many years of testing that laid the foundation to authorize this gear,” said Dr. Craig Shuman, CDFW Marine Region Manager. “We look forward to working with the fleet and gear manufacturers to continue to innovate so we can maximize fishing opportunities for California’s hardworking fleet while minimizing entanglement risk.”
“This is a great day for whales and the Dungeness crab fishery in California,” said Dr. Geoff Shester, marine scientist for Oceana. “We commend the crabbers who took the initiative to make this possible along with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, gear developers, enforcement officers, Ocean Protection Council, and everyone else who came together to support the effort. Authorizing pop-up gear is a huge step toward ensuring fishermen can catch more crab without worrying about entangling a whale and consumers can enjoy that crab caught during the spring knowing that it is whale safe. It’s also a great example of the power of innovation, courtesy of gear developers like Sub Sea Sonics and Guardian Ropeless, as well as the many fishermen who tested and advanced this new fishing method. This proves how much we can accomplish when we collaborate to keep our fisheries strong and ensure cherished ocean wildlife — like endangered humpback whales — can thrive. We encourage other states to follow California’s lead in allowing this new whale-safe technology.”
Whale entanglements in fishing gear have increased in recent years, prompting seasonal fishery closures and stricter limits on the number of traps fishermen can use. In 2025, there were four confirmed whale entanglements in California Dungeness crab gear. NOAA Fisheries estimates that approximately 75% of large whale entanglements are fatal.
“The authorization of pop-up gear is huge step in stabilizing what has been a very shaky fishery over the past decade,” said Brand Little, a commercial Dungeness crab fisherman who fishes out of San Francisco and participated in the experimental tests for pop-up gear. “Going in to pop-up gear testing, I didn’t think the concept would ever work for our West Coast Dungeness fishery, but it didn’t take long to see that there was a viable path to restoring the late season crab fishery to the entire fleet that has come to depend on it. This is excellent news for California’s commercial crab fishery.”
“Pop-up gear gives us fishermen the ability to harvest Dungeness crab for the public while the whales and turtles are present,” said Stephen Melz, a commercial Dungeness crab fisherman from Half Moon Bay who also participated in the tests. “It is an amazing way that technology and the spirit of innovation have come together to bring back fishing opportunity!”
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Information about Alternative Gear and a List of Authorized Alternative Gear are available at CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries Webpage.
- Fishermen interested in using the gear can contact the manufacturers listed on CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries Webpage. Along with information on the gear, information on a range of discounts, grants and loans to assist with transition to the gear can be accessed by contacting the manufacturers.
- For more details about the 2025 pop-up fishing gear trials please see this statement from the gear manufacturers (Sub Sea Sonics and Guardian Ropeless Systems) and fishermen.
- An infographic highlighting the key results of the spring 2025 ropeless gear trial can be accessed here.
- B-roll video footage of pop-up gear in action during the 2025 testing is available here.
- To learn more about Oceana’s campaign for whale-safe oceans please visit www.oceana.org/WhaleSafeOceans.
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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 325 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.
