The Dungeness crab fishery has undergone significant changes due to new legislation, changing ocean conditions, and more recently risk of marine life entanglement, specifically with whales and sea turtles. The following update provides important information on several items affecting the commercial fleet. Continue reading “Reducing the Risk of Marine Life Entanglement”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) would like to provide a quick summary of several significant updates and changes regarding the commercial Dungeness crab fishery.
Continue reading “Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery Updates”
The California commercial Dungeness crab fishery will close statewide on April 15, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham issued a Declaration today to close the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in all commercial fishery management zones. The closure is needed due to a greater risk of whales becoming entangled in commercial Dungeness crab pots, lines, and buoys during the spring and summer months.
All commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear must be removed from ocean waters and landings must be completed by April 15, 2019 at 11:59 p.m.
This closure only applies to the commercial Dungeness crab fishery. Continue reading “California Commercial Dungeness Crab Season Will Close Statewide April 15, 2019”
The California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH’s) biotoxin monitoring program began in 1927 in response to a massive poisoning event that occurred after people ate mussels containing high levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin. Several deaths and over 100 illnesses were attributed to the event, according to CDPH.
Domoic acid, which causes amnesic shellfish poisoning, is another potentially deadly and naturally occurring toxin that may be produced after a “bloom” of a single-celled plant called Pseudo-nitzschia. Blooms of Pseudo-nitzschia do not always produce domoic acid, and there is currently no reliable way to predict where or when a bloom will produce the toxin. Continue reading “Domoic Acid and the Recreational Dungeness Crab Fishery: A brief history of monitoring and current recreational fishery information”
With the end of the season less than a month away, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reminds Dungeness crab fishermen that all gear must be removed from the water by the last day of the season. The commercial and recreational fishing seasons close south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line on Saturday, June 30. North of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line the commercial season closes on Sunday, July 15, while the recreational season closes on Monday, July 30.
The reminder is part of an effort to clear coastal waters of Dungeness crab traps in a timely manner Continue reading “As Crab Season Ends, Time to Collect Gear”
Marine Management News 