No Dungeness crab will come off commercial boats in Monterey Bay for the 2026 holiday season.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced Oct. 30 that the commercial Dungeness crab season is delayed from the California-Oregon border to Point Conception until at least Jan. 1, 2027. The typical commercial opener is Nov. 15. Humpback whale entanglements in crab fishing gear triggered the mandatory shutdown.
State regulations require the CDFW director to delay the commercial fishery when confirmed humpback whale entanglements in commercial Dungeness crab gear reach a set threshold in a calendar year, according to the agency's announcement. CDFW Director Meghan Hertel ordered the delay along with trap restrictions on the recreational season.
Nine humpback whales were confirmed entangled in fishing gear off the California coast in 2026, according to CDFW data reported by Monterey County NOW. A majority of those entanglements occurred in Monterey Bay, the outlet reported.
Sources differ on how many involved Dungeness crab gear specifically. KSBW reported three confirmed in commercial gear and two in recreational gear. Monterey County NOW reported four of the nine were linked to crab gear, split evenly between commercial and recreational.
The delay marks at least the seventh consecutive year the commercial opener has been pushed back because of entanglements, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
What's still open
Recreational crabbers can still hit the water. The recreational Dungeness crab season opens Nov. 7 in most areas, though recreational crab traps are restricted from the Oregon border to Point Conception until at least Jan. 1. Hoop nets and crab snares remain legal, according to CDFW.
The agency advised recreational crabbers to avoid setting gear where whales are present.
One stretch of Northern California coast stays fully closed. Waters from Cape Mendocino to the Ten Mile State Marine Reserve are shut down because of elevated domoic acid levels in crab. Domoic acid is a neurotoxin that at low levels can cause nausea and dizziness. At higher levels, it can cause seizures and can be fatal, according to CDFW.
Economic stakes
Last year's Dungeness crab catch was valued at $56 million, according to the Crab Boat Owners Association as reported by the Chronicle. That makes the fishery among California's most economically valuable.
The delay adds to pressure on Monterey's fishing fleet. As of September 2025, commercial and recreational salmon fishing had been banned for three consecutive years, KION reported at the time.
Geoff Shester, Oceana's senior scientist and director of fishery innovation, said warm water conditions are pushing whale prey closer to shore, increasing overlap with the fishery, as Monterey County NOW reported. He also said fishery managers left the previous season open too long, as KSBW reported.
Preliminary figures from NOAA Fisheries show 47 humpback whale entanglements off the U.S. West Coast in 2026. Oceana said that number is on pace to be the highest recorded in a single year, according to KSBW.
New gear, next steps
California authorized "pop-up" ropeless crab gear for the first time in 2026. KSBW reported the authorization applied to the commercial fishery, while Monterey County NOW reported it was approved for all fishers. The gear keeps lines and buoys coiled on the seafloor until a fisher triggers a buoy to rise, reducing the time lines spend in the water.
Shester said Oceana supports expanding its use, KSBW reported.
CDFW said it expects to conduct another risk assessment in mid-December. That review will help determine whether the commercial fishery can open and recreational trap restrictions can be lifted around the new year.
