Courtesy of Seafood News:
Dungeness crab season is on hold in Central California.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham late Monday delayed indefinitely the season in Zones 3 and 4, the areas north and south of San Francisco, to decrease the risk of whale entanglements in crab gear.
It’s a departure from a stakeholder group’s recommendation last week.
The California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group had proposed a different season opener for Central and Northern California when it met at the end of October. It recommended delaying the commercial fishery until Nov. 19, only four days after the traditional Nov. 15 opening, and the fishery would open under a Fleet Advisory to protect whales. However, the dates would be subject to change based on the next Risk Assessment. A number of whales, particularly humpbacks, are present and have not started their migration out of California waters, the updated data showed.
Under the Risk Assessment and Management Program, Director Bonham has the authority to make a decision based on CDFW’s preliminary assessment of whale and sea turtle activity, the Working Group’s recommendation, and any updated protected species information. Still, Bonham’s decision for an indefinite delay is problematic for fishermen and businesses planning for holiday sales.
Bodega Bay fisherman Dick Ogg, who also is a member of the Working Group, said the decision creates uncertainty for fishermen who need to plan ahead to load gear on their vessels, get bait, get crews ready, etc.
“The hardest part for us is we don’t know when we’ll start,” Ogg was quoted as saying in a story in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Processors, too, face problems when trying to plan for volume sales to distributors and wholesalers. Buyers and processors at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco who sell live crab to the public and local restaurants are faced with telling their customers they simply don’t know when the season will open and when crab will be available.
Southern California Zones 5 and 6, however, are scheduled to open on the usual Nov.15 season start date, under a Fleet Advisory to be cognizant of whale presence and use best practices to avoid entanglement. The volume of Dungeness crab from those zones isn’t nearly as much as in Central or Northern California but it could provide some crab in time for Thanksgiving in some local markets.
Biotoxin hazards remain a concern coastwide, but particularly in Zone 3, north of San Francisco.
“Preliminary domoic acid testing results indicate a potential delay for the commercial fishery in the northern portion of Zone 3,” the director’s report stated. “Results for an area that encompasses Zones 5 and 6 are pending. … It is unclear how fishing effort may shift given any season delays, but any season opener is expected to result in relatively high gear concentrations.”
CDFW anticipates the next risk assessment will take place on or before November 22, 2021, at which time the Director will re-evaluate the temporary recreational crab trap restriction and commercial fishery delay in Fishing Zones 3 and 4, as well as the need for any management actions for the commercial fishery in Fishing Zones 1 and 2.
Northern California, Zones 1 and 2, traditionally open on Dec. 1, along with Oregon and Washington, depending on domoic acid and meat recovery testing results.