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.
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.
