Commercial Dungeness Crab Season Delayed (Again) in Northern California

Crab closeup

Crab close up. [Photo from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife]

Press release from the Department of Fish and Wildlife:

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham issued a declaration to open the commercial Dungeness crab fishery from Bodega Head, Sonoma County north to the Sonoma/Mendocino county line.

The area from the southern boundary of Bodega Head State Marine Reserve, Sonoma County (38° 18’ N. latitude) north to the Sonoma/Mendocino county line (38° 46.125’ N. latitude) was closed due to elevated levels of domoic acid. Public health agencies have determined that domoic acid no longer poses a significant risk to public health in this area.

Under recent amendments to Section 5523 of the Fish and Game Code, the CDFW Director may provide a minimum of 72-hours’ notice before a gear setting period. Therefore, the Director has declared the fishery to open at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 to be preceded by an 18-hour gear setting period that would begin no earlier than 6:01 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, 2018.

No vessel may take crab within a delayed area during the closure period. In addition, any vessel that has landed crab from ocean waters outside of this delayed area is prohibited from taking, possessing onboard, or landing Dungeness crab in this area until Jan. 7, 2019 pursuant to Section 8279.1 of the Fish and Game Code.

The northern California commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9 (Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties) remains closed until 12:01 a.m. December 16, 2018 due to poor crab meat quality tests. If the next round of test results indicate good quality, the fishery will open and be preceded by a 64-hour gear setting period.

For more information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions regarding the 2018-19 Dungeness crab commercial season.

Memo from Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (12/03/18)

For more information on health advisories related to fisheries, please visit: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Health-Advisories

More information on Dungeness crab, please visit: www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab

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Zoltan
Guest
Zoltan
5 years ago

So much money and advertising behind pot.one might imagine it’s a drug of addiction.and its ,stupid,damage to others,by damage to environment.let our motto be,not it is better to die on ones feet,than live on ones knees.better.quien yo?

Willie Caso-Mayhem
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Zoltan

What the hell are you talking about, this article is about people being able to go out and work doing there crabbing. No more wake and baked for you.

Pharmstheproblem
Guest
Pharmstheproblem
5 years ago

Right! People just can’t follow an article..

Dan F
Guest
Dan F
5 years ago

I was wondering the same thing, I enjoy Cannabis as much as the next guy, but this article is about Crab Fishing not Cannabis!!! Slow your roll a bit & read sometimes!!!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago

DF & G are using Domoic acid for an excuse, they don’t want to alarm the public over unsafe levels of radiation in Dungenous crab ever since the Fukushima disaster.

Willie caos- mayhem
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Maybe a little but not as much as your trying to be an alarmist about. Link it or drop it.

Beel
Guest
Beel
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

The local fishery “remains closed… due to poor crab meat quality tests”. Paranoid much?

LostCoastEMP
Guest
LostCoastEMP
5 years ago

You can blam environmentalist Democrats for this too! Eat your rain forest destroying tofu you hippy-crit!

Willie caos- mayhem
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  LostCoastEMP

Why? Prove it ,link it or drop it be happy people get to do some work before the holidays. Now maybe they can have a holiday.