February 12, 2026 — For the first time, California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife has approved ropeless crab traps as an alternative gear fishers can use in the Dungeness crab fishery during the spring 2026 season.
While several manufacturers are entering West Coast fisheries with ropeless crab traps, Sub Sea Sonics is the first to be authorized to allow commercial crab fishers to continue operating during seasonal fishery closures between April 1 and July 15, 2026. Another manufacturer, EdgeTech, is expected to receive approval from CDFW, according to Geoff Shester, fisheries innovation director and senior scientist with Oceana.
“All eyes are on—let’s see how this goes in the spring,” says Shester.
Over the last few years, ropeless crab traps, or “pop-up gear” have emerged as an experimental option allowing fishers to deploy a buoy using an acoustic signal, rather than leaving a rope suspended in the water.