October 26th 2024.
For the sixth year in a row, California officials have announced a delay in the start of the Bay Area's commercial Dungeness crab season. The reason? The "high abundance" of humpback whales migrating through the area. These majestic creatures have been getting caught in old crab-pot fishing lines and other gear, causing concern among conservation groups who are frustrated with the slow progress in implementing safer fishing methods.
Typically, the crab season would have begun on November 15th in the waters from Sonoma and Mendocino counties all the way down to the Mexican border. However, on Friday afternoon, the director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Charlton H. Bonham, made the decision to delay the start of the season after consulting with representatives from the fishing industry, environmental organizations, and scientists.
According to Oceana, a nonprofit conservation group involved in these discussions, there have been four confirmed cases of humpback whales being entangled in commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear between May and October 21st of this year. Ten other cases were observed where whales were possibly entangled in unknown fishing gear that could potentially be Dungeness crab gear. Just in the past few days, more entanglements have been reported, which is concerning to marine scientist Caitlynn Birch, the campaign manager for Oceana.
Representatives from the Center for Biological Diversity also spoke out, advocating for the use of rope-less or pop-up gear to allow for a safer migration for the whales. Ben Grundy, an oceans campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity, stated that while he is glad the state is taking precautions to avoid entanglements, the use of pop-up gear, which has proven successful in tests, would make these season delays unnecessary. He pointed out that if the state had authorized the use of this gear, crab fishers could already be preparing to put their traps in the water.
Although another assessment will take place around November 22nd, this delay will make it impossible for crab to be on the menu for Thanksgiving dinner on November 28th. However, it could potentially lead to an opening date in early December. On the other hand, the recreational Dungeness season is still set to start on November 2nd, but with restrictions. Only hoop nets and crab snares will be allowed, and trap gear is prohibited until further assessment.
This is not the first time there have been delays in the Bay Area's commercial Dungeness season. In fact, since 2015, there has only been one season that was not affected by delays. In 2015-2016, a toxin called domoic acid, which can make anyone who eats tainted crab sick, led to the cancellation of the commercial season and caused delays in subsequent years. The 2018 season started on time for commercial fishers, but recreational crabbers had to wait a bit longer. In 2019 and 2020, the danger of fishing lines to whales resulted in a delay of several weeks. And just this year, the official start of the crabbing season was pushed back to early January due to price negotiations between crab fleets and seafood processors.
Ultimately, the goal of these delays is to protect the humpback whales during their migration, but it does have an impact on the crabbing industry. The 2021-22 season was shortened due to these delays, running from late December to early April. The following season was also shorter, running from late December to mid-April. In 2023-24, the season didn't even start until mid-January and ended early in April. The hope is that with the use of safer fishing methods, these delays and shortened seasons can be avoided in the future.
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