June 16, 2025 — The remaining spots along California’s coast still open for commercial Dungeness crab fishing will close on June 20, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday.
The closure of the area between the California/Oregon border and the Sonoma/Mendocino county line stemmed from the entanglement of a humpback whale earlier this month. This area was the only one that remained open to commercial fisheries, as the area from the Sonoma/Mendocino line to the Mexico border closed in April.
Oceana, an ocean conservation group, said state and federal efforts to free the juvenile humpback haven’t yet worked.
“This unfortunate news of another humpback whale entangled in Dungeness crab gear dispels the narrative that whales don’t get entangled off Northern California,” said Caitlynn Birch, Oceana campaign manager and marine scientist, in a statement. “It is time to learn from these tragic entanglements, many of which could have been avoided.”