Saving Seafood

West Coast whale entanglements up in 2024

December 20, 2024 — Whale entanglements in fishing gear off the Pacific Coast rose in 2024 despite state and federal measures to reduce such incidents, including efforts to deploy “ropeless“ fishing gear that could eliminate risk of entanglements.

Preliminary data from NOAA Fisheries shows 34 whales became entangled in 2024, the highest number since 2018. Another entangled whale was reported off Orange County, California, earlier this month but has not been seen since last week, NOAA said.

NOAA spokesperson Nick Rahaim confirmed the latest entanglement numbers for California, Oregon and Washington state, which were released to the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group on Wednesday and will be publicly released next year.

Read the full article at E&E News

West Coast Dungeness fleets navigate changes, delays

December 11, 2024 — While California’s Dungeness crab fleet waits for delayed waters to open, Washington and Oregon fishermen have geared up for their 2024-2025 seasons under familiar pressures of conservation and commerce. With winter crabbing generally in full swing, balancing marine sustainability with vital economic returns is the focus.

In Washington, the Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) emphasizes its regulatory approach to protecting marine mammals, citing updates from previous seasons as a foundation for the current year. Measures to reduce entanglement risk remain crucial, with state and tribal co-managers collaborating to meet conservation goals while supporting fishermen. WDFW published a Dungeness Crab Newsletter to go over a report of the 2023- 2024 season and new regulations for this year. Other sources have shared that the Washington Dungeness season will be delayed until the end of 2024.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Dungeness crab season cancelled for remainder of 2024 in California, Washington

December 10, 2024 — Fisheries regulators on the West Coast are further delaying the opening of their states’ respective commercial Dungeness crab seasons due to the presence of humpback whales and low meat quality, with all but a small portion of Oregon’s coast unlikely to open before the end of the year.

On 6 December, the state of California announced it was delaying the start of the commercial crab season for a third time this year, citing the continued presence of blue and humpback whales in the area. The season was initially slated to open on 15 November.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab season opening date set

December 9, 2024 — Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open on Dec. 16 from Cape Falcon south to the California border.

The commercial fleet can begin setting baited crab pots in the water in this area on Dec. 13.

Areas north of Cape Falcon will remain closed until at least Dec. 31 due to low meat yields. The season will open in coordination with southern Washington state.

On Friday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife ordered another delay in that state’s commercial Dungeness crab fishing season — the third so far this year.

Read the full story at The Oregonian

OREGON: Oregon’s Dungeness crab season pushed

November 22, 2024 — Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab season is delayed coastwide until at least Dec. 16, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced yesterday. Pre-season testing shows that Dungeness crabs are too low in meat yield in some ocean areas and have elevated domoic acid in crab viscera (guts) in two areas on the south coast.

Oregon’s ocean commercial Dungeness crab season, targeted to open Dec. 1, can be delayed so consumers get a high-quality product and crabs are not wasted.

The commercial bay crab fishery (currently open from Cape Blanco to the Washington border) closes at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 1 in conjunction with the delayed ocean commercial season. The commercial bay crab season runs through Dec. 31 but will only reopen in December if the ocean commercial season does so.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

CALIFORNIA: California’s Dungeness crab season delayed again

November 22, 2024 — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has ordered another delay in the commercial Dungeness crab fishing season — the second so far this year.

The risk of whales becoming tangled in crab fishing gear remains high for most of the coastal waters from the Mendocino County line south to the Mexican border, director Charlton H. Bonham announced Thursday.

The postponement allows more time for the whales’ safe passage to their winter breeding grounds.

In the far north, where crabbing was supposed to be allowed starting Dec. 1, there’s a second issue: Tests on crab meat quality could not be conducted because of high levels of domoic acid found in the samples collected.

Domoic acid, a toxin that could sicken anyone who eats the tainted crab, destroyed Northern California’s 2015-2016 commercial season and created delays in other years.

Lisa Damrosch, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, said that while her members are eager to get out on the water — “it’s critical for local food production and the economic health of our coastal ports” — they understand the safeguards that have been put in place.

Read the full article at The Mercury News

CALIFORNIA: Dungeness crab season delayed again for whale protection

November 5, 2024 — The start of the commercial Dungeness crab season in California has been delayed once again and local fishermen like Tom Capen are calling it the “new norm.”

Although the delay this time didn’t come as a surprise to Capen, he says it’s still a serious setback.

“The price of fuel is doubled, tripled and the price of bait is doubled, so it’s hard to make it now,” Capen says.

The delay affects Fishing Zones 3 and 4, which includes the Central Coast. California Fish and Wildlife made the call in an effort to protect humpback whales from potential trap entanglement.

Read the full article at KSBY

CALIFORNIA: California crabbers have a whale of a problem: Season’s start delayed again

November 1, 2024 — California Dungeness crab, a staple of holiday celebrations for many West Coast families, won’t be widely available before early December and possibly not until next year – again.

For the sixth year in a row, the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife has delayed the start of the commercial crab fishing season through most of the state’s coast to protect endangered humpback whales from getting entangled in vertical fishing lines, which can result in injuries and death.

Dungeness crabs, larger, meatier and more abundant in California than other species, are treasured by locals as well as tourists, who frequently consume them at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. The crustaceans are mostly found in the central and northern parts of the state.

Read the full article at USA TODAY