On Thursday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife pushed out crabbing season to mid-December in the wake of a dozen whale entanglements.Between May and October 2024, four humpback whales were entangled in California Dungeness crab fishing gear and eight were entangled in unidentified gear, prompting CDFW to delay the season, as it begins during a whale migratory period.The decision did not surprise the state’s commercial crab fishers or environmental groups lobbying for stricter protections for migrating whales.“I think what people would appreciate, what fishermen would appreciate mostly is for the Fish and Wildlife Department to just tell us well in advance what it is, if I’m supposed to be hurrying up now getting ready for December 15,” Mike Cunningham, a Eureka fisherman and crabber said.Given the delays that have happened with regularity over the past several years, Cunningham floated the idea that the season could just start on Jan. 1 after the threat of entangling or striking whales is reduced.Keep Reading
