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Public Service Announcement: Dungeness Crab Season Delayed Until Jan. 15

Dungeness crabs stacked for sale
Maureen Reilly
/
Flickr
The Dungeness crab season will open Jan. 15, 2025 at 12:01 a.m

From the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

The Dungeness crab season in the Northern Management Area (Zones 1 and 2, California Oregon Border to the Sonoma/Mendocino county line) will be further delayed pursuant to Fish and Game Code Section 8276.2 due to the inability to conduct industry-sponsored meat quality testing. The season will automatically open on Jan. 15, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. under a 25 percent trap reduction in both Fishing Zones. A pre-soak period will begin on Jan. 12, 2025, at 8:01 a.m. The crab quality delay triggers the fair start provision under Fish and Game Code 8279.1. Under fair start a vessel is prohibited from taking, possessing onboard, or landing crab in an area previously delayed for a period of 30 days from the date of the opening if that vessel previously participated in other commercial Dungeness crab fishing areas (including those in Oregon and Washington) during the same season.

While Dungeness crab has historically been available in time for the holidays, the presence of whales in the fishing areas and entanglements in fishing gear have delayed the season opening in the last several years. Last season, the northern fishing zones opened on Jan. 5, while the central zones were delayed until January 18. Despite the shortened seasons, the California Dungeness crab fishery remains one of the State’s most lucrative, averaging close to $45 million per year over the last five years, consistent with historical averages.

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