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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
On Wednesday, Director Bonham issued a preliminary determination that the Nov. 22 start date poses a significant risk of marine life entanglement.
The anticipated management response is a further delay of the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in that area until Dec. 15.
An aerial survey conducted by CDFW within Greater Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries on Monday, Nov. 18, showed whales throughout the survey area with concentrations foraging in depths between 30 and 50 fathoms off Point Reyes and Half Moon Bay.
CDFW is working to schedule a followup aerial reconnaissance flight to further evaluate whale presence in advance of Dec. 15 and will convene the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group the first week of December to conduct a risk evaluation.
Under the authority of Fish and Game Code, section 8276.1(c)(1), the director may restrict take of commercial Dungeness crab if there is a significant risk of marine life entanglement due to fishing gear.
As required in Fish and Game Code, section 8276.1(c)(4), the director is providing 48 hours’ notice to the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group and other stakeholders.
Director Bonham will consider any recommendations or new information provided by 4:45 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22, 2019. Anyone with recommendations and information related to this preliminary determination should submit it to
No vessel may take, possess or land crab in an area closed for a significant entanglement risk. Fishing gear may not be deployed in any area closed to fishing.
CDFW, the fleet and the interested stakeholders are still at the start of an emerging effort to implement real-time decision-making processes.
For the last 24 hours before the Wednesday announcement, CDFW has been engaged in real-time discussion and decision making, responding to industry requests for further delay.
Everyone recognizes the risks and all are committed to addressing that risk and developing the tools to assess and manage risk with more refinement.
CDFW said it is committed to continuing to evaluate information as it is available in real-time to ensure that restrictions on the fishery are lifted as expeditiously as possible.
CDFW also said it appreciates the challenges and difficulties that come with the beginning of a new approach, and we appreciate the understanding of the public, the fleet, the Working Group and Californians hungry for crabs.
In related news, test results received Wednesday from the California Department of Public Health show there is no longer a public health concern regarding the safety of crab from the Mendocino/Sonoma county line to the California/Mexico border.
For the latest information on the Dungeness crab season, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab and 2019-2020 Dungeness Crab Fishery Best Practices Guide.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The hearing, titled “State of the 2019-20 Dungeness Crab Season and Putting Fish Friendly Highways in the Fast Lane,” will be held Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to noon at the State Capitol in Room 112.
“The past five years have been some of the most challenging on record for crab fishermen up and down the coast,” Sen. McGuire said. “While we’re hoping for the best this year, the hearing will be focused on any challenges that may lie ahead including ocean heating, domoic acid levels, potential marine life entanglements as well as remaining concerns about crab size and weight. We hope folks will join us for a comprehensive overview of this top tier fishery.”
The first portion of the hearing will focus on the upcoming Dungeness crab season and any potential impacts that may be on the horizon and when consumers can expect to have crab on the holiday dinner table.
Experts from across the west will focus on ocean heating, domoic acid levels, crab quality tests, risk of whale and marine life entanglements and the recent declaration to delay the season opener.
The JCFA will also hear testimony from fisheries leaders about their perspectives and concerns regarding the Dungeness crab fishery.
The committee will also do a deep dive on fish passage barriers that currently exist on our state highways and the urgent need to protect and restore California’s native fisheries in the face of a changing climate.
Testimony will address the problem created by fish passage barriers and the urgent need for fish to access headwater habitats.
“California’s endangered fish populations are on the brink, especially in the face of a changing climate,” Sen. McGuire said. “There’s a lot this state can do to help the recovery of endangered fish species, and one of the most critical steps we can take is to remove the thousands of fish migration barriers that exist due to our state highway system. We look forward to the collaborative discussion on Tuesday and developing a long term plan to implement fish friendly highways.”
The public is welcome to attend. The hearing will also be live-streamed at www.senate.ca.gov.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Northern Management Zone (Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9):
In a memo released Friday, CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham delayed the Northern California commercial Dungeness crab season due to poor crab meat quality test results. The delayed area in the north includes Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties (Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9).
The northern Dungeness crab fishery is delayed until 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Dec.16, 2019, pending another round of testing tentatively scheduled on or around Dec. 1. If these results indicate good quality and there is no area under an additional domoic acid delay, the fishery will open Monday, Dec. 16, and be preceded by a 64-hour gear setting period that would begin 8:01 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, 2019.
Crab are evaluated to compare meat weight to total crab weight to determine whether they are ready for harvest under testing guidelines established by the Tri-State Dungeness Crab Committee in conjunction with tests done in Oregon and Washington. If results indicate poor crab quality, the CDFW director may delay the fishery under authority of Fish and Game Code, section 8276.2.
"This industry-supported quality test determines if Dungeness crab have filled out in time following their molting period," said CDFW Environmental Scientist Christy Juhasz.
If the next round of quality tests continues to show low quality crab, Director Bonham has the authority to delay the season an additional 15 days until Dec. 31. The season can be delayed no later than Jan. 15, which is what happened in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons.
Central Management Zone (Fish and Game Districts 10 and south):
The Central Management Area (Sonoma County and south) was delayed seven days by declaration of the Director to avoid marine life entanglements and opens at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 22 assuming no additional delays due to domoic acid. This opening is preceded by an 18-hour gear setting period that would begin no earlier than 6:01 a.m. on Nov. 21.
However, ocean waters between Point Reyes, Marin County, (38° 00.00' N. latitude) and the northern boundary of Pillar Point State Marine Conservation Area in San Mateo County (37° 30.00' N. latitude) has yet to clear for domoic acid.
The opening or delay of the fishery in this area will be announced prior to 6 p.m. on Nov. 20. If the scheduled opener in this area is declared delayed, the fleet will be informed when the area is cleared of domoic acid and, pursuant to Fish and Game Code, section 5523, will be given a 72-hour notice before pre-soak is to commence.
The fleet will be notified via press release and the Dungeness Crab Task Force email listserv as well as the CDFW Domoic Acid Fishery Closure Information Line at 831-649-2883.
All individuals planning to fish in this area are strongly encouraged to check these sources in order to confirm the opening time prior to setting their gear in this area.
For more information, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab and read CDFW's Frequently Asked Questions on the 2019-2020 Dungeness crab commercial season.
For more information on health advisories related to fisheries, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/ocean/health-advisories .
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- Written by: Mediacom
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