May 1, 2026 — Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen is leading an effort to extend the Northern California crabbing season that has steadily shrunk over the past six years, taking up the cause of fishermen who claim their industry has been dying in the face of regulations meant to protect migrating whales.
State regulators implemented a system known as RAMP in 2020 that automatically delays or closes the commercial Dungeness crab season when humpback whale sightings or entanglements in crab gear reach a set threshold. Since then, the season — which once ran from November through summer — has largely been pushed to a January start, with closures arriving in spring.
For years, local fishermen have bemoaned what they claim(opens in new tab) is a blunt-force approach. Larsen is launching an initiative to expand the commercial crabbing season with the aid of a dedicated legal team so local fishermen can again start crabbing as early as November.