California Dungeness Crab Pot Fishery - MMPA List of Fisheries
U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of interactions that result in incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.
Current Classification on the List of Fisheries
Category |
II |
Estimated Number of Participants |
501 |
Target Species |
Dungeness crab |
Applicable Take Reduction Plans |
N/A |
Observer Coverage |
None |
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured |
Blue whale, Eastern North Pacific1 Gray whale, Eastern North Pacific; Humpback whale, CA/OR/WA1
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^ Number of participants estimates are based on state and federal fisheries permit data. The estimated number of participants is expressed in terms of the number of active participants in the fishery, when possible. If this information is not available, the estimated number of vessels or persons licensed for a particular fishery is provided. If no recent information is available on the number of participants, then the number from the most recent LOF is used. NOAA Fisheries acknowledges that, in some cases, these estimations may be inflating actual effort.
*Observer coverage levels include the latest information reported in the most current final Stock Assessment Report (SAR).
1 Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.
Basis for Current Classification
The total annual mortality and serious injury of humpback whale (CA/OR/WA stock) is more than 1% and less than 50% of the stock's Potential Biological Removal (PBR) level.
Distribution
This fishery operates along the central and northern coastal waters of CA in depths typically from 10–40 fathoms. The fishery is divided into two management areas. The central region south of the Mendocino-Sonoma county line) is open November 15–June 30. The northern region (north of the Mendocino-Sonoma county line) can open on December 1, but may be delayed by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) based on the condition of market crabs, and continues until July 15.
Gear Description
The cylindrical or rectangular pots used in the fishery are buoyed, or fished, individually, although fishing strings of multiple traps are allowed in the central region. There is no limit on the number of traps which may operated by a fisherman at one time.
Management
This is a limited access fishery managed in part by the State of CA and the Tri-State Committee agreement for Dungeness crab, which also includes the states of OR and WA. There is also a California Dungeness Crab Task Force, created in 2009, to review and recommend management measures.
Historical Information
Original Category (Year added to the LOF) |
III (1996) |
Original Number of Participants |
1,475 |
Basis for Original Classification |
Listed as Category III because there was no observer, logbook, or stranding data available. |
Past Names |
WA/OR/CA crab pot (until 2009) |
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list) |
N/A |
Timeline of Changes
2020 |
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2019 |
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2014 |
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2011 |
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2009 |
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Changes on the LOF when the “CA Dungeness crab pot” fishery was included in the larger “WA/OR/CA crab pot” fishery |
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2007 |
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2005 |
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