California Delays Opening of Dungeness Crab Season to January 5
Gear reductions will reduce whale entanglement risk
Press Release Date: December 19, 2025
Location: Monterey, CA
Contact:
Jamie Karnik | email: jkarnik@oceana.org | tel: Jamie Karnik
Monterey, CA —Today the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced that the commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open on January 5, 2026, for the central California coast (Zones 3, 4 and 5) with a 40% gear reduction to minimize the risk of whale entanglements in crab lines. Recreational crabbing will open statewide on the same day while the northern coast will remain closed to commercial crabbing until at least January 15.
Four humpback whales were confirmed to have been entangled in California Dungeness crab gear in 2025, with five additional humpbacks confirmed entangled in unknown gear that may be Dungeness gear from California. Approximately 75% of whale entanglements are fatal. In November a humpback whale was euthanized after stranding on the Oregon coast entangled in Oregon Dungeness crab gear. Oceana and partners are currently petitioning the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission for stronger measures to reduce entanglement risk in that state’s Dungeness crab fishery.
According to NOAA Fisheries, 95 large whales were entangled in U.S. waters in 2024, a marked increase from previous years. After the rise in entanglements in 2025 and continued high numbers of whales seen off the coast in recent surveys, CDFW postponed the commercial crabbing season until January 2026 to allow whales more time to migrate to calving grounds off Mexico and Central America.
“This is the right move to balance healthy fisheries and safe waters for wildlife. We support the department’s decision to cautiously open the commercial crab fishery in Central California with a 40% gear reduction to minimize the risk of fatal entanglements for whales,” said Dr. Geoff Shester, a senior scientist for Oceana. “Entanglements off California remain high, so the state will need to shorten the upcoming season for conventional crab traps with vertical lines. We’re thrilled that California is on track to authorize the use of innovative pop-up gear for commercial Dungeness crab fishing this spring, which is part of the solution for both the fishery and wildlife. The recent tragic death of an entangled humpback whale off Oregon is the latest dramatic reminder of what’s at stake with vertical line fishing. We need coastwide solutions to what is clearly a coastwide problem.”
Pop-up fishing gear (also called “ropeless” or “on-demand”) prevents whale entanglements while allowing for successful crab fishing. Rather than a line connecting a surface buoy to a trap on the seafloor, pop-up gear stores the rope and buoy with a string of traps on the seafloor until a release mechanism is triggered that sends the buoy to the surface. Following three years of successful testing through Experimental Fishing Permits, CDFW is now in the process of finalizing details for authorized pop-up gear for spring of 2026, with a public announcement expected in early January.
One of the humpback whale populations that migrates to feed off the California coast breeds in Central American/Southern Mexico and is endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. According to the most recent 2022 federal Humpback Whale Stock Assessment, these humpbacks are seriously injured or killed by human activity at a rate of four times the limit set by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, which is also under siege from recent proposed changes in Congress.
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.
