April 14, 2025 — After years of a shortened crab fishing season aimed at preventing whale entanglements off the West Coast, California crabbers are experimenting with a new fishing method that allows them to stay on the water longer while keeping the marine mammals safe.
The state has been running a pilot program since 2023 to try out so-called pop-up gear to protect whales while finding a solution to fishermen’s woes and is expected to fully authorize the gear for spring Dungeness crab fishing in 2026.
The gear, which uses a remote device to pull up lines laid horizontally across the sea floor, also is being tried on lobster in Maine, black sea bass in Georgia and fisheries in Australia and Canada.
“Unfortunately, it has been six years we’ve been delayed or closed early for whales,” said Brand Little, a San Francisco Dungeness crab fisherman who is among those participating in the pilot.