Commercial Crab Season for North Coast Delayed Until New Year’s Eve
A stack of unused crab pots. [Photo by Oliver Cory]
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is providing the following important updates and information on the status of the central and northern commercial California Dungeness crab fisheries and northern recreational fishery.
Central Management Area (Fish and Game Districts 10 and south)
On Nov. 22, the Central Management Area (Sonoma County and south) opener was delayed until Dec. 15 by declaration of the Director to avoid marine life entanglements. At CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham’s request, the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group was convened on Dec. 4 to review new information and conduct an updated risk assessment. The Working Group provided a consensus recommendation to open the fishery as soon as possible, while providing the fishery sufficient notice prior to Dec. 15. No minority recommendations were expressed. After considering the Working Group’s updated assessment, the Director is proceeding with the Dec. 15 opener. The Central Management Area will open at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15. This opening is preceded by an 18-hour gear setting period that will begin at 6:01 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14.
Through the course of the crab season, CDFW will engage regularly with the Working Group to review scientific information and advise efforts to minimize the risk of whale and sea turtle entanglements while maximizing fishing opportunity. Based on that process, CDFW may take additional management actions in response to future risk assessments. For more information related to the risk assessment process or this delay, please visit CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries page.
Domoic Acid Update
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) lifted a health advisory for recreational Dungeness crabs caught near Shelter Cove, Humboldt County (40° 01′ N. Latitude) to Point Arena (38° 57.5′ N. Latitude). CDPH lifted this advisory today due to recent tests showing that the amount of domoic acid has declined to low or undetectable levels in Dungeness crabs caught in the area, indicating that they are safe to consume. Although there are currently no areas under an active health advisory for Dungeness crab in the state, CDPH recommends consumers follow best practices to avoid any inadvertent exposure to domoic acid that might be sporadically found in the crab viscera.
Northern Management Area (Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9)
Director Bonham has also announced an additional 15-day delay of the northern California commercial Dungeness crab season. The new opener is Dec. 31, 2019. Results of the Dec. 3 quality test continue to show crab are below the minimum testing guidelines established by the Tri-State Dungeness Crab Committee and are not yet ready for harvesting.
Delays due to quality affect the entire northern commercial fishery in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties (California Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9). The season in these districts is now scheduled to open at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, to be preceded by a 64-hour gear setting period that would begin no earlier than 8:01 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2019.
Additional testing will be scheduled to occur by Dec. 20 to determine whether the season can open on Dec. 31 or will be delayed once more until Jan. 15, 2020.
No vessel may take or land crab in an area closed for a meat quality delay (i.e., Fish and Game districts 6, 7, 8 and 9). In addition, any vessel that takes, possesses onboard or lands crab from ocean waters outside of a delayed area is prohibited from participating in the crab fishery in the delayed area for 30 days following the opening of that area.
For more information, please see CDFW’s Frequently Asked Questions regarding the 2019-2020 Dungeness crab commercial season and www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Whale-Safe-Fisheries.
For more information on Dungeness crab, please visit: www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab.
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I love fresh crab, and I love living near the coast, but I am wondering if climate change is going to eventually destroy our coastal fisheries.
Yes, yes it will…enjoy it now.
Well eventually it will make it better. In the bluffs next to my house there are fossils. Man did not affect the climate back when those shellfish were left high and dry.
Might take a few hundred thousand years but we will eventually be back to where we are now. And our bones will in those bluffs
My point exactly local. We are not destroying the earth, we are destroying ourselves. We are the next fossil fuel!
What will destroy it are tofu eating, Prius drivers that use marijuana.
Marijuana is far more dangerous to fisheries than climate change, and tofu libs are even more dangerous than marijuana.
I just hope the fishermen, or fishing community as libs call them, have a record year and stack cash in giant piles.
It’s a dangerous job that takes dedication and hard work, something libs don’t know about.
Every lib should work a season on a fishing boat, cattle ranch, and a year spraying round up on round up ready soy crops before they can even vote.
Actually, a better idea is that libs need 4 Republican Sponsors that would need to sign off on a form that allows libs to vote.
Happy Holidays, get haircuts, split some firewood, hunt something and eat it, and give thanks that you live in America.
??Half of the jobs you just discussed are filled by immigrants, jobs that most American born citizens won’t do. And if they do they want much more than the immigrants so they don’t get hired out by the European Owners.
Honeydew Bridge Chump?
What: are you one of Chump tRump’s peabrain appointees? Keep drinking the devil’s piss.
Yeah well, I think it’s a free Fing country Glow Hard.. but I think Conserv’s should have to go vegetarian for a year, test drive a Prius for a week, and live on minimum wage without any healthcare for 6 months before they are allowed to vote.. but Thankfully for both the constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishment..
With that said, I am definitely a lib. for an occasional Steak, especially grass fed, in America and with a side of crab.. I hope the Fishing Community cleans up their gear and kills it this year..
Being that one of the west coast fishermen’s groups filed a lawsuit over climate change policies, probably. I’d like to see some of the environmental groups join the lawsuit with them.
Yet again another year with out Christmas. Hang in there local crabers.