April 21, 2026 — The U.S. state of California is set to close more of its Dungeness crab fishery to traditional gear as regulators anticipate an upcoming abundance of whales in commercial Fishing Zone 3.
Harvesters who opt to use pop-up fishing gear will be allowed to continue fishing for several more weeks in that area, however, as part of the state’s effort to enable commercial fishing to take place alongside whales while reducing entanglement risk.