LOS ANGELES — The commercial Dungeness crab fishing industry was closed early in central and southern California on April 8 because of entanglement risks from returning Humpback whales to state waters where they forage.

Traditionally, the Dungeness crab fishing season runs from November through June using vertical line fishing gear that spans from the surface to the seafloor.

Whales can get trapped in these vertical lines, including whales that are protected as endangered.

After whale entanglements spiked from 2015 to 2018, the Dungeness crab season has faced delay or closure since 2019.

Season closures are affecting the fishing business, but now during this closure, a handful of commercial fishermen such as Brand Little, are testing a whale-safe kind of fishing gear, called “pop-up” or “ropeless” fishing gear, hoping the state will authorize this alternative for use next season, so fishermen can still work.

Commercial fisherman Brand Little described how the first test of the spring season went with about 20 fishermen.

“They said it went remarkably well. Everything popped up, everything came back, they caught crabs and they’re like, this is so much better than putting the gear in the gear shed and quit making money. We still have a couple months left in our statutory season, so this isn’t as great as the way we normally do it, but this is better than nothing," Little said.

Whale entanglement rates have dipped since the 2015 to 2018 spike, and management measures like shortening the fishing season have helped to reduce numbers.

But ocean-conservation group Oceana said there should be more regulations to avoid entanglements altogether.

Senior scientist and California Campaign Director Geoff Shester said he’s hopeful the state will authorize the pop-up fishing gear as a way for both fishermen and whales to coexist.

“So those regulations would result in closures to prevent entanglements in the vertical lines, but when the vertical lines are closed, ropeless fishing gear could continue in the springtime through the end of June like it used to," Shester said.

While pop-up gear is a solution to keep fishing for Dungeness Crab in the spring, Little says the industry can’t only use pop-up gear because it’s not as efficient as traditional vertical lines.

But he wants to see the technology authorized so the entire fleet can use it when the whales are around, instead of being out of work.

“You know if I was forced to use the pop-up gear year-round, I couldn’t survive as a crab fisherman, but I maintain that the fleet can’t survive on 60 days alone either so this is what we’re willing to do," Little said.

Spectrum News reached out to the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association about the closure, and here's what they said:

"It is never easy when a season opens late or closes early, and unfortunately, the California Dungeness Crab fleet has been living in this reality for several years now. The season does remain open in the Northern zone under a depth restriction. We are hopeful that the data being gathered for the next Risk Assessment will continue to indicate that fishing in the Northern region can continue. Commercial fishermen and PCFFA remain committed to participating in the Risk Assessment process with the goal of reducing entanglement risk while allowing maximum opportunity for the harvest of healthy and sustainable Dungeness Crab for the people of California and beyond.

It is important to understand that the gear being tested this Spring is not “ropeless.”  It really should not be characterized this way, as it creates an unrealistic perception and expectation. This is a great marketing tool for Oceana, but it isn’t the truth. The truth is this is "on-demand" or “pop-up gear” that is in the early phases of testing and that includes the same amount of rope as traditional gear. There is a potential that rope from this gear type that fouls or deploys incorrectly could increase entanglement risks to marine mammals and navigational hazards for vessels that can't see this gear. There is hope that this on-demand/pop-up gear can become a tool used to keep the fishing season open longer in the Spring. However, all fishermen, including those who have participated in early testing, agree that this gear type is unworkable for the beginning of the season when participation in the fishery is high and entanglement risk is low."

Lisa Damrosch
Executive Director
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, PCFFA