Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery Closes in Del Norte County

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charton Bonham has assessed whale entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program and announced the season closure in the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Zones 1 and 2, California / Oregon border to the Sonoma/ Mendocino County line to further reduce the risk the entanglement in crab fishing gear.  No announcement has been made from the implementation of the June 20 ban as to when the ban will lifted.

Commercial Dungeness crab vessels are authorized to retrieve an unlimited number of commecial crab traps which are lost, damaged, abandoned or otherwise derelect in Fishing Zones 1 and 2 that began June 27. Individuals should provide monthly reports of retreived gear to [email protected]. At the same time, permit holders have begun to retreive crab traps.

For more information, contact wildlife.ca.gov/crab.