The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has put a hold on both commercial and recreational fishing indefinitely, pending a reassessment on December 5, due to concerns over whale safety and potentially harmful toxin levels in crab meat. The water has high levels of domoic acid in the north, marking the seventh consecutive year the Dungeness crab season has been delayed. The CDFW aims to balance consumer safety with the need to protect humpback and blue whales from entanglement in fishing nets.