Oregon, California delay commercial Dungeness crab seasons in the United States

Published Nov 22, 2024

Tridge summary

The commercial Dungeness crab seasons in Oregon and California have been delayed due to concerns over humpback whale entanglement and high domoic acid levels. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has postponed the start of the commercial season in areas where humpback whales have been spotted, and is still assessing the situation. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has also pushed back the start of Oregon's ocean commercial Dungeness crab season due to low meat yield and high domoic acid levels. Environmental non-profit Oceana has commended CDFW for the delay but emphasized the need for improvements to California’s Whale Safe Fisheries program to reduce entanglement risks.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The U.S. states of Oregon and California have delayed the start of their commercial Dungeness crab seasons due to concerns over the presence of humpback whales and high domoic acid concentrations.The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) had previously delayed the start of the commercial season for fishing zones 3, 4, 5, and 6 – which stretch from the state’s Mexican border north to Gualala, California. State officials determined to push back the start of the season from 15 November after detecting a large number of humpback whales in the area. Officials are required by state law to implement protective measures when there is a high risk of humpback whale entanglement.Following another assessment on 21 November, California has opted to continue the season delay for zones 3 through 6, citing the continued presence of humpback whales. CDFW also chose to delay the start of the season in zones 1 and 2, which were set to open 1 December.The state has detected a high ...

Source: Seafoodsource