Current:Home > MyCalifornia’s commercial Dungeness crab season will end April 8 to protect whales -PrimeWealth Guides
California’s commercial Dungeness crab season will end April 8 to protect whales
View
Date:2025-04-16 18:38:02
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The commercial Dungeness crab season in California will be curtailed to protect humpback whales from becoming entangled in trap and buoy lines, officials announced Thursday.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife said commercial crabbing will end April 8 for waters between the Mendocino-Sonoma county line and the border with Mexico.
The recreational take of Dungeness crab using traps in those areas will also be prohibited. Recreational crabbers will be able to use other methods, including hoop nets and crab snares.
North of the Mendocino-Sonoma county line to the Oregon border, commercial crabbing will only be permitted to a depth of 180 feet (55 meters), officials said.
“Aerial and vessel surveys conducted in mid-March show humpback whale numbers are increasing as they return to forage off the coast of California, elevating entanglement risk,” the department said in a statement.
The situation will be reassessed in mid-April.
The commercial crab industry is one of California’s major fisheries. For the past six years there have been delays and prohibitions for the crabbing season, which traditionally begins in mid-November, because of the potential risk to whales.
Humpback whales can get caught in the vertical ropes connected to heavy commercial traps, which they can drag around for months, leaving them injured, starved or so exhausted that they can drown.
Humpback whales migrate north annually from Mexico’s Baja California peninsula where they birth calves. In spring, summer and fall the humpbacks feed on anchovies, sardines and krill off the California coast before heading back south.
veryGood! (937)
Related
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Lily-Rose Depp Shows Her Blossoming Love for Girlfriend 070 Shake During NYC Outing
- Why Hot Wheels are one of the most inflation-proof toys in American history
- Hailey Bieber Supports Selena Gomez Amid Message on “Hateful” Comments
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Why Is Texas Allocating Funds For Reducing Air Emissions to Widening Highways?
- Musk asks in poll if he should step down as Twitter CEO; users vote yes
- Billie Eilish Cheekily Responds to Her Bikini Photo Showing Off Chest Tattoo
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $260 Crossbody Bag for Just $59
Ranking
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Zendaya Sets the Record Straight on Claim She Was Denied Entry to Rome Restaurant
- Close Coal Plants, Save Money: That’s an Indiana Utility’s Plan. The Coal Industry Wants to Stop It.
- Lily-Rose Depp Reaches New Milestone With Love of My Life 070 Shake
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- In big win for Tesla, more car companies plan to use its supercharging network
- RHONJ: Teresa Giudice and Joe Gorga Share Final Words Before Vowing to Never Speak Again
- Should Solar Geoengineering Be a Tool to Slow Global Warming, or is Manipulating the Atmosphere Too Dangerous?
Recommendation
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
As Protests Rage Over George Floyd’s Death, Climate Activists Embrace Racial Justice
U.S. expected to announce cluster munitions in new package for Ukraine
OceanGate suspends all exploration, commercial operations after deadly Titan sub implosion
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
Biden cracking down on junk health insurance plans
Warming Trends: Asian Carp Hate ‘80s Rock, Beekeeping to Restore a Mountain Top and a Lot of Reasons to Go Vegan
Big entertainment bets: World Cup & Avatar