May 21, 2021 — With the higher number of humpback whales descending on Central Coast waters, and out of concern with them becoming entangled in crab lines, state officials said this week that they will close the Dungeness crab season on June 1, four weeks early.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which regulates the state’s crab fishery, issued the decision Tuesday following agency Director Charlton Bonham’s assessment of entanglement risk to humpback whales and critically endangered leatherback sea turtles.
The closure will begin statewide at noon on June 1.
“It has been a very difficult year for many in our fishing communities and I recognize that every day of lost fishing further impacts families and small businesses,” Bonham said in a statement.