{"id":524719,"date":"2026-03-15T09:03:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T09:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/524719\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T09:03:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T09:03:13","slug":"commercial-dungeness-crab-fishing-opportunities-continue-with-alternative-pop-up-gear-to-protect-whales-from-entanglement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/524719\/","title":{"rendered":"Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishing Opportunities Continue with Alternative \u2018Pop-Up\u2019 Gear to Protect Whales from Entanglement"},"content":{"rendered":"

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director\u00a0Meghan Hertel\u00a0has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program (RAMP) and\u00a0announced changes to both commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries<\/a> in Fishing Zones 4 and 5 (Pigeon Point, 37\u00b011\u2032 N Latitude to Point Conception, 34\u00b027\u2032 N Latitude).<\/p>\n

These changes include authorizing the use of alternative gear, or pop-up fishing gear, for the first time in the commercial Dungeness crab fishery. Pop-up fishing gear uses buoys and lines attached to cages, just like traditional crab traps, however the buoys and lines of pop-up gear remain coiled on the seafloor. When a commercial fisherman is ready to retrieve their gear, a remote signal triggers the release of the buoy which carries the line to the surface and allows commercial crabbers to locate the trap for immediate removal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe use of pop-up fishing gear is an exciting new development in California fisheries management,\u201d said CDFW Director Hertel. \u201cFor the first time, pop-up fishing gear will allow one of California\u2019s most iconic fisheries to continue. Dungeness crab will still be brought to market while whales and sea turtles are protected from entanglement in those fishing zones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Use of this pop-up fishing gear has been tested extensively over several years to ensure gear can be recovered successfully and now provides additional fishing opportunity after the season is closed to traditional crab trap gear. This action is intended to minimize entanglement risk while continuing fishing opportunities as humpback whales return to forage off the California coast.<\/p>\n

The commercial fishery will close on March 27, 2026, at 6 p.m. in Fishing Zones 4 and 5, at which time the commercial take and possession of Dungeness crab from those waters is prohibited unless using alternative gear as authorized by the director of CDFW.<\/p>\n

The use of approved Alternative Gear in Fishing Zones 4 and 5 will be allowed beginning April 3, 2026, at 7 a.m. There are currently two approved alternative gear types that are authorized for use for all commercial Dungeness crab permit holders. Please visit the Whale Safe Fisheries web page for more information about the specific gear models and configurations that are authorized for use.<\/p>\n

The commercial fishery will remain open in Fishing Zones 1, 2, and 3 (California\/Oregon border to Pigeon Point) under existing crab trap reductions. Based on historical migration data, CDFW anticipates an increase in whale abundance in the upcoming weeks. Individuals should remain vigilant and be prepared to remove gear quickly, to minimize entanglement risk in these fishing zones.A recreational crab trap restriction will go into effect on March 27, 2026, at 6 p.m., for Fishing Zones 4 and 5. CDFW reminds recreational crabbers that take of Dungeness crab by other methods (including hoop nets and crab snares) is allowed through the close of the season. CDFW also reminds all fishery participants to implement best practices as described in the\u00a0Best Practices Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pursuant to Section 132.2(a)(2)(E) of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, commercial Dungeness crab vessels are authorized to retrieve an unlimited number of commercial Dungeness crab traps which are lost, damaged, abandoned or otherwise derelict in Fishing Zones 4 and 5 starting at 6 a.m. on April 3, 2026. CDFW requests that individuals retrieving gear\u202fpursuant to\u202fSection 132.2(a)(2)(E) report their activities to [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>. Any vessel operating or transiting in an open Fishing Zone may not possess more than six traps belonging to another vessel, pursuant to Title 14, California Code of Regulations, Section 132.2(a)(2)(A).<\/p>\n

CDFW anticipates the next risk assessment will take place in early April 2026. For more information related to the risk assessment process or trap gear retrieval, please visit\u00a0CDFW\u2019s Whale\u202fSafe Fisheries page<\/a>. For more information on the Dungeness crab fishery, please visit\u00a0wildlife.ca.gov\/crab<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Persons with disabilities needing reasonable accommodation to participate in public meetings or other CDFW activities are invited to contact CDFW\u2019s Accessibility Coordinator in the CRO Office at (916) 902-5577, or send an email to [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>. Reasonable Accommodation requests for facility and\/or meeting accessibility should be received at least 21 days prior to the event. Requests for American Sign Language Interpreters should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event, and requests for Real-Time Captioning at least four weeks prior to the event. These timeframes are to help ensure that the requested accommodation is met. If a request for an accommodation has been submitted but due to circumstances is no longer needed, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator immediately.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director\u00a0Meghan Hertel\u00a0has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":524720,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":["post-524719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=524719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/524720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=524719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=524719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=524719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}