After delays due to poor meat quality and concerns about whale entanglements, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife today announced the local commercial Dungeness crab fishery will open Jan. 5. The opening zone stretches from the Oregon state line down to the Sonoma-Mendocino county line. Meanwhile, local restrictions on the use of recreational crab […]
commercial season
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Local Commercial Crab Season Opener is Set
Get the butter ready, the crab is coming. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today that the Dungeness commercial season opener for Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties is now set for Dec. 31 at 12:01 a.m., with a 64-hour gear setting period that will begin at 8:01 a.m. on Dec. 28. The […]
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Commercial Crab Season Delayed
The commercial Dungeness crab season has been delayed until at least Dec. 31 in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties due to poor meat quality, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The opening date is pending another round of testing, a news release states. “If results indicate good quality, the fishery will […]
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Fish and Wildlife to Ban Crab Traps for Recreational Season
Effective April 24 at 7 p.m., the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is prohibiting the use of crab traps for recreational catches due to an increased risk of whale entanglement. “This restriction is being implemented because of the unusually large number of humpback whales that have migrated back to California waters earlier than in […]
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North Coast’s Commercial Dungeness Season Closing Due to Entanglement Risk
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is closing the commercial Dungeness crab season statewide due to “assessed entanglement risk,” with the North Coast season now ending on April 20 at noon. “We received reports of additional humpback whale entanglements and moved quickly to close the fishery to protect migrating humpback whales that are just […]
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Commercial Crab Season Set to Open Dec. 23
Get that butter ready. The commercial Dungeness crab season is slated to start statewide on Dec. 23 after being delayed due to meat quality in the Humboldt region and whale entanglement concerns farther south. “Our recommendation was to open this Wednesday (Dec. 16),” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham in […]
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No Local Crab Before the New Year
The commercial Dungeness crab season off of Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties has been delayed again at least until Dec. 31 due quality tests that “continue to show crab are below the minimum testing guidelines.” According to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife release, another round of testing will take place around Dec. […]
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Still no Crab
Another round of testing shows that local Dungeness crab are still not filled out enough, prompting a second delay for the commercial season in Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today that the opener has been pushed back to Dec. 31 and may not end up starting […]
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Again With the Crab
Bad news, local Dungeness crab lovers. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is delaying the commercial season in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties for at least 15 days due to poor crab quality. The fishery is now currently set to open Dec. 16 to let the crustaceans fill out a bit. A second […]