HomeTop StoriesCalifornia's commercial Dungeness crab season has been postponed after Thanksgiving

California’s commercial Dungeness crab season has been postponed after Thanksgiving

Dungeness crab fishermen are facing financial pain from the delayed start to the season


Dungeness crab fishermen are facing financial pain from the delayed start to the season

03:20

Dungeness crab from coastal California will not be on the menu for another Thanksgiving, after California wildlife officials announced a postponement of the commercial crab fishing season.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced Friday that the fishery south of the Sonoma-Mendocino County line will not open as planned on Nov. 15 due to the “great abundance” of humpback whales in the area, along with a large number of recent complications.

Officials said the recreational season begins Nov. 2, but trap use will be prohibited in Zones 3 and 4, between the Sonoma-Mendocino county line to Lopez Point in Monterey County.

The Dungeness crab season, which traditionally begins in mid-November, has suffered repeated delays in recent years, causing frustration among crab fishermen who rely on the holiday catch to make a living.

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The previous crab season was postponed until January 18 And ended prematurely on April 8 as a result of the whale migration.

Kenny Belov, co-owner of Fish Restaurant in Sausalito and supervisor of two Dungeness crab boats, told CBS News Bay Area last December that the annual expectation of local Thanksgiving crab had become a recurring disappointment.

“This is the sixth or seventh year we haven’t had local Thanksgiving crab. It doesn’t seem to be a local tradition anymore,” he told reporter Jose Martinez.

CDFW officials said they anticipate another risk assessment around Nov. 15 for a possible Dec. 1 start of the fishing season.

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