US: California closing Dungeness crab season to protect humpback whales

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is closing most of the U.S. state’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery on Monday, 8 April.California’s zones 3, 4, 5, and 6, stretching from the Sonoma-Mendocino county line to the U.S.-Mexico border, will be closed at 6 p.m. on 8 April due to the presence of humpback whales in the area, with a 30-fathom depth constraint on traps going into effect in zones 1 and 2, which encompasses the rest of the state’s coastline north to the Oregon border.“Aerial and vessel surveys conducted in mid-March show humpback whale numbers are increasing as they return to forage off the coast of California, elevating entanglement risk,” CDFW said.CDFW said it plans to carry out its next risk assessment in mid-April 2024 and will reevaluate the closures at that point.California’s Dungeness crab fishery opened late and was further impeded by a dispute over prices paid by processors. Ultimately, fishermen in San Francisco went fishing at a USD 3.00 ...