The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced the final closed area of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Humboldt County will open at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 30.
The opening covers waters from the southern boundary of the Reading Rock State Marine Protected Areas to Cape Mendocino and will be preceded by a 64-hour gear-setting period, which begins Jan. 27 at 8:01 a.m., under a 15 percent gear reduction.
State health agencies determined that the Dungeness crab from the area no longer poses a significant human health risk from domoic acid and recommended lifting the delay. With this action, all areas of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery are now open for the 2025-2026 season.
The Fair Start Provision will apply to the newly opened area, prohibiting vessels that fish in other regions earlier in the season from fishing, landing, or transiting in the area for 30 days. Vessels subject to Fair Start restrictions may begin fishing in the area on March 1.
Additional information can be found on the CDFW website.
