California commercial Dungeness crab season delayed past Thanksgiving
Dungeness crab from the California coast won't be on the menu for yet another Thanksgiving, after state wildlife officials announced a delay to the commercial crab fishing season.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced Friday that the fishery south of the Sonoma-Mendocino County line won't open on Nov. 15 as scheduled due to the "high abundance" of humpback whales in the area, along with a large number of recent entanglements.
Officials said the recreational season will begin on Nov. 2, but the use of traps will be prohibited in Zones 3 and 4, between the Sonoma-Mendocino county line down to Lopez Point in Monterey County.
Dungeness crab season, which traditionally starts in mid-November, has repeatedly faced delays in recent years, which has brought frustrations to crab fishermen, who rely on the holiday haul to make a living.
The previous crab season was delayed until Jan. 18 and ended early on April 8 due to the whale migration.
Kenny Belov, the co-owner of Fish Restaurant in Sausalito and overseer of two Dungeness crab boats, told CBS News Bay Area last December that the annual anticipation of local Thanksgiving crab had become a recurring disappointment.
"This is year six or seven where we haven't had local Thanksgiving crab. It doesn't seem to be a local tradition anymore," he told reporter Jose Martinez.
CDFW officials said they anticipate on making another risk assessment around Nov. 15 for a possible start to the fishing season on Dec. 1.