The commercial Dungeness crab fishing season in the San Francisco region will be delayed to protect whales from getting tangled in trap gear, state regulators said.
The use of traps was scheduled to open Nov. 15 between the Sonoma/Mendocino county line and Lopez Point in Monterey County.
The delay is due to an abundance of humpback whales and a large number of recent entanglements, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a press release.
The season for recreational Dungeness crab fishing, which uses methods including hoop nets and crab snares, will still open statewide Nov. 2, the state agency said.
CDFW said it will decide about a potential statewide commercial fishery opener of Dec. 1 on or around Nov. 15.
The post Commercial Dungeness crab season in San Francisco region delayed to protect whales appeared first on Local News Matters.