No commercial Dungeness crab before January as the state delays the season over whale entanglements

Dungeness crab will not be coming off California commercial boats in time for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has pushed back the commercial season along the entire coast from the Oregon line to Point Conception until at least Jan. 1, 2027.

The reason is whales. State rules require the department's director to act when too many humpbacks get tangled in fishing gear, and CDFW said the number of confirmed entanglements in 2026, combined with large numbers of humpbacks on the crab grounds, triggered the delay. Holding off also gives the whales time to migrate out of California waters before commercial traps go in.

Sport crabbers can start Saturday, with limits

The recreational season opens Saturday, Nov. 7, across most of the state, but crab traps are off the table. Recreational traps are restricted from the Oregon border to Point Conception through at least Jan. 1. Hoop nets and crab snares, also called loop traps, are still allowed.

CDFW reminded anglers that hoop nets have to be checked every two hours and cannot be left unattended longer than that, and it has issued a fleet advisory asking crabbers not to set gear where whales are present.

One stretch of the North Coast will not open at all for now. State health agencies found unhealthy levels of domoic acid in crab caught north of Fort Bragg, so the recreational season stays closed from Cape Mendocino to the Ten Mile State Marine Reserve until health officials say the toxin no longer poses a significant risk.

Domoic acid comes from a naturally occurring marine alga and builds up in shellfish. At low doses it can cause nausea and dizziness; at high doses it can cause memory loss and seizures and can be fatal, according to CDFW.

"Partnerships are more important than ever as we work together to protect endangered whales and turtles and our fishing communities," CDFW Director Meghan Hertel said in announcing the decision.

When the next call comes

CDFW plans its next risk assessment in mid-December. The director will look at the latest data, along with a recommendation from the state's Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group, to decide whether the commercial fishery can open and the recreational trap limits can be lifted around the new year.

Updates on closures and health advisories are posted at wildlife.ca.gov/crab, and the state runs a domoic acid closure information line at (831) 649-2883.

Sources

wildlife.ca.gov