US State of California Protects Endangered Whales by Reducing Harmful Fishing Gear and Delaying Dungeness Crab Season | Oceana

Victory | January 11, 2024

US State of California Protects Endangered Whales by Reducing Harmful Fishing Gear and Delaying Dungeness Crab Season

The U.S. state of California first delayed the opening of the 2023-2024 commercial Dungeness crab fishery and then reduced the number of crab traps that can be deployed in the water off the central and southern California coast by 50%. These measures were implemented to protect humpback whales from becoming entangled in commercial crab fishing gear. They came in response to excessive whale entanglements and a high number of humpback whale sightings, plus the discovery of a critically endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle found entangled and drowned in commercial Dungeness crab gear. Oceana is a member of the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group and successfully advocated for stronger measures to protect whales from entanglement.