The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will continue to delay the recreational Dungeness crab opener in northern California due to unhealthy levels of domoic acid in crab taken from the California/Oregon state line (42° 0.00’ N latitude) to the southern boundary of the Reading Rock marine protected areas (41° 17.6’ N latitude) in Humboldt County (Fishing Zone 1) on the recommendation of state health agencies.  The closure will remain in effect until further notice.

South of the closure area, the California Department of Public Health has lifted the advisory that warned consumers not to eat the internal organs (viscera) of sport-caught Dungeness crab from state waters located at:

• Reading Rock State Marine Reserve (41° 17.6′ N. Latitude) to Cape Mendocino (40° 10′ N. Latitude), and
• Sonoma/Mendocino county line (38° 46.125′ N. Latitude) to Point Reyes (38° 0.00′ N. Latitude)

The northern California commercial Dungeness crab season for Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties (Fishing Zones 1 and 2) will not open on Dec. 1, 2024 because crab meat quality tests could not be conducted due to high domoic acid concentrations in crab collected at northern California port locations. Additionally, high numbers of humpback and blue whales were observed in these fishing zones, which creates an elevated entanglement risk. The commercial Dungeness crab fishery delay in Fishing Zones 3 through 6 (the rest of the California coast) will continue due to the presence of humpback whales and a high risk of entanglement. 

The next risk assessment will take place around Dec. 5, 2024, and is expected to inform the potential for a statewide commercial fishery opener and lifting of the recreational trap restriction on or around Dec. 15, 2024. Particularly in northern California, these potential actions are dependent on safe domoic acid levels in Dungeness crab.