The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced plans for an assessment of marine life entanglement risk for the commercial Dungeness crab fishery on or around Dec. 15 using its Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program.
CDFW officials said in an announcement on Monday, Dec. 13 that new regulations adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission provide the director with the authority to apply management actions to the recreational crab fishery to minimize entanglement risk informed by the program.
The California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group was scheduled to meet on Tuesday, Dec. 14, to review currently available data as well as CDFW’s initial assessment and preliminary management recommendations.
CDFW officials said that the director would consider the working group’s recommendations CDFW staff’s final assessment and all data available to CDFW prior to making a final determination of marine life entanglement risk.
All information is to be posted on the Whale Safe Fisheries webpage as it becomes available: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Whale-Safe-Fisheries#559972749-2020-21-season.
CDFW said that additional updates would also be posted once the director has made a determination through the listserv.