Jumbo crab trader fishermen said the order to end the current crab season six weeks early in northern California would hit crab catchers in Humboldt County another blow after seeing record low landings this quarter.
At the end of last year, when the new fishing season began, its harvest was repeatedly postponed.
The delay in whale conservation is not the first time that California's jumbo crab commercial catch has been delayed, and a 2019 decision from Bodega Bay fishermen voluntarily withdraws from the program to open on Nov. 22 to avoid whales concentrating on Cape Reyes and Half Moon Bay for food. The move by the Podgar Bay Association led state officials to reach out to other ports and reached an overall consensus on delaying the season.
But fishermen are concerned about the final version of the ramp rule, which the Crab Society said ignores the fleet's recommendations "to balance common-sense marine life conservation with the economic and cultural importance of California's coastal historic fishing communities." ”
Now the price of Jumbo crab is high. The number of participants may not be large, but there are still many people who rely on spring crab fishing, but it is very unfortunate and sad that the commercial catch of rare crabs in northern California will close earlier than normal due to the emphasis on protecting dewfin whales. ”
Charlton Bonham, director of california's Department of Fish and Wildlife, ordered the state's commercial fishing fleet to end its activities at noon on June 1, about six weeks ahead of the normal end time of July 15 for Northern California crab fishermen, and all crab traps must be cleared by a set end time.
The CDFW order comes as surveys show that the dew fin whales are returning to California waters from their winter breeding waters in the south.
Because whales and turtles can be entangled in cage fishing lines set up by commercial crab teams, which can cause them to injure or die, and the number of dew-fin whales has fallen sharply in recent years and has reached endangerment, the fishing area has had to make plans to stop fishing in advance.
Affected by various factors this year, the catch has hit a new low this year, so that the price of jumbo crab is high.
We haven't seen any preliminary numbers for the northern jumbo crab fishing industry in the north of the state, so it's hard to guess, but when the data comes out, it could see that this could be the worst fishing season in three or four decades.
Many fishermen reiterated the importance of crab hunting to many members of the fleet, as opportunities to catch crabs in other fisheries, such as salmon, are also very limited. Especially when the price of Jumbo crab is the highest. "For a lot of people, it's the only source of income," he said.