"For many Californians, crab bakes, crab cakes and crab feeds are traditional holiday fare. But the need to protect humpback whales in California's coastal waters, combined with widespread domoic acid contamination along the northern coast, has once again put the brakes on the Dungeness commercial fishery and parts of the recreational fishery this fall. Consuming shellfish contaminated with domoic acid can cause illness and death."
"New state regulations require the closure of the fishery if three or more humpback whales are confirmed to have been entangled in crab gear during the calendar year. In 2025, four whales have been entangled in commercial Dungeness crab fishery ropes and lines. An additional four humpbacks have been snared in gear that officials suspected but could not confirm was for crab fishing."
Commercial Dungeness crab fishing statewide was delayed until Jan. 1, with the season ending July 31 instead of the planned Nov. 1 start. New regulations mandate closing the fishery if three or more humpback whales are confirmed entangled in crab gear during a calendar year; four confirmed entanglements occurred in 2025 and four additional suspected entanglements were reported. Widespread domoic acid contamination along the northern coast is adding public-health restrictions. Recreational crabbing opens Nov. 1 in most areas. California accounted for roughly 25% of 95 confirmed whale-fishing-gear incidents in 2024, and whales face multiple other threats.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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