Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust Executive Director Sherry Flumerfelt says many local fishermen like Toriumi were already pulling their crab pots in preparation for the salmon season, scheduled to start on May 1. “We are having to combat with scientists and environmental groups,” said Toriumi. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. One of the most prominent efforts to assess the fishery and risk to whales is the regular meeting of the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group, which was created in September 2015. Linda Zavoral is a Features reporter and editor who writes about restaurants, libations, travel and the arts for the Eat Drink Play and Eye/Timeout sections. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS. The season for the Northern zone, from the Sonoma County line north to the Oregon border, traditionally starts Dec. 1; a state spokesman said a decision on that fishery will be made in mid-November. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! In mid-November, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director will re-assess entanglement risk in the central management area and evaluate risk in … California Dungeness crab season delayed to protect whales Updated 10:37 pm EST, ... 2020, that it's pushing back the scheduled Nov. 15 start of the season … With the danger of whale entanglements eased, the Dungeness crab season for central California was scheduled to open Sunday, Dec. 15. Toriumi anticipated that the season would close soon and, as a result, doesn’t currently have any crabbing gear in the water. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! The California opener originally set for Nov. 22 was delayed, after the Bodega Bay crabbing fleet voted to voluntarily hold back from deploying their gear until a large number of endangered humpback whales had finished feeding in their nearshore zone. She's a Bay Area native and a San Jose State University journalism graduate. Representatives for fishing crews applauded the declaration. Toriumi feels that anyone pivoting to dock sales would benefit from having a diverse offering of seafood, ideally including crab. “We can crab efficiently and safely, it’s really, really frustrating.”, The season also had a delayed start, which is not unusual. HALF MOON BAY, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 15: Dungeness crab rest in a container as they are weighed during the opening day of commercial Dungeness crab season … “We’ve mitigated the issue down to practically zero,” he said. But lackluster meat quality led Northwest state fisheries manager to delay opening other coastal areas until the New Year. That means the recreational crab season may begin as scheduled this Saturday, Nov. 7. “The (California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife) is being overly cautious in our opinion,” said Ben Platt, president of the California Coast Crab Association. In 2019, the fishing line danger to whales resulted in a crabbing delay of several weeks. "The commercial Dungeness crab season in the central management area, which was scheduled to open Sunday, Nov. 15, will be delayed due to the presence of whales within fishing grounds and the potential for entanglement. The ruling affects the Central zone from the Sonoma-Mendocino county line south through Morro Bay, San Francisco and Half Moon Bay and down to Point Conception in Santa Barbara County. North of Point Arena, crabbers must await new meat analysis, although California officials set contingency plans for a possible Dec. 31 opening. According to Platt, that decision was driven by the local fishermen. “Additional testing will be scheduled to occur by Dec. 20 to determine whether the season can open on Dec. 31 or will be delayed once more until Jan. 15, 2020.”. Toriumi agreed that the numbers don’t quite add up. “I pulled my gear out early — If we didn’t have to play this back and forth game, I would have left 100 pots out there,” he said. Olio nuovo: How to use and where to find season’s freshest, boldest olive oil © 2020 Diversified Communications. “The fleet has gone to great lengths to be more nimble in order to protect whales and turtles, and the results are promising.”. ### Media Contacts: Ryan Bartling, CDFW Marine Region, (415) 761-1843 Jordan Traverso, CDFW Communications, (916) 654-9937. California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife has decided to end the Dungeness crab season early this year as a precaution to protect migrating whales. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Crab season ended early by California Department of Fish and Wildlife to protect whales, Homeless Union group calls on Salinas to stop cleanup of encampments, First openly gay justice confirmed to California high court, Coronavirus: Capacity restrictions could provide outsized impact, study says, Coronavirus: California’s cases, hospitalizations continue to rise, Coronavirus: State rejects Monterey County's bid for less restrictive tier, Pacific Grove limits parking near Monterey Bay Aquarium, Rec Trail, Carmel High's J.T. Related Articles The most recent consensus among the group was that the risk to whales was low, and a majority did not recommend any additional mandatory management measures. Instagram pie art: Tips, tricks and Thanksgiving recipes from social media’s best pie artists “It’s really crucial that we are able to keep the crab season open as long as possible,” Toriumi said. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Oakland ends Ghost Ship fire lawsuit, reaching $33 million settlement total for deadliest fire in city’s history, California officials order delay in Bay Area’s Dungeness crab season, Olio nuovo: How to use and where to find season’s freshest, boldest olive oil, Oprah’s Favorite Things: Oakland’s Red Bay Coffee, Ayesha Curry’s cookware make the list, Wingstop tests chicken thighs to offset soaring U.S. wing prices, Instagram pie art: Tips, tricks and Thanksgiving recipes from social media’s best pie artists, Time Is Ripe: East Bay farmers’ markets best bet for Thanksgiving. Officials from California, Oregon and Washington state wildlife agencies conferred Dec. 6 and agreed on the delay, citing meat recovery values still below 25 percent in areas on the northern coast. According to the Fish and Wildlife press release, the decision to end the season was largely based on observations of humpback whales observed in the fishing grounds and expected increases due to known migration patterns. Byrne to play football at Oregon State, Map of California coronavirus tiers: The 11 counties that just got worse, Veterans Day events to honor Salinas, Monterey Peninsula area veterans, Monterey County policyholders in wildfire ZIP codes to get one-year reprieve. “We all like whales,” he said. The state agencies are sampling again in mid-December with an eye to having complete results Dec. 20. 2020-2021 Recreational Dungeness Crab Season CDFW Issued: October 2020 Page|2 Crab Traps: • Crab traps must not be deployed or fished seven days prior to the opening of the Dungeness crab season (Oct. 30 – Nov. 6, 2020). Since 2015, there have been delays in all but one commercial Dungeness season. For the second consecutive year, California officials are delaying the Bay Area’s commercial Dungeness crab season to decrease the chances of whales currently off the coast getting ensnarled by fishing lines. He made the announcement on behalf of the CDFW and what’s called the Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group, which includes members of the commercial crab fleet, environmental organizations and other agencies. GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. “ We have been doing everything we can to address this issue of potential interaction with a whale. … We’re doing all that stuff in good faith, and then stuff like this happens and we feel that faith is betrayed.”. GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. Moore was awarded the Online News Association 2011 Knight Award for Public Service for the “Barnegat Bay Under Stress,” 2010 series that led to the New Jersey state government’s restoration plan. It’s a rocky start to the beginning of the winter fishery that has had more than its share of problems, from domoic acid to marine mammal conflicts.