REGULATIONS / SEASONS / GEAR
Dungeness crab
fishing updates.
Official agency news for North Coast fishermen, collected weekly. For today’s openings, closures, and gear restrictions, check the current notices for your fishing zone.
View agency headlinesCheck before you fish
Rules can change between weekly updates. These agency pages carry current information.
CDFW & NOAA / WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Agency headlines
Headlines retrieved
Agency headlines, refreshed weekly. Publication dates are not effective dates. Read the full notice for the fishery, area, and requirements that apply.
California crab announcements and West Coast crab and entanglement news. Older notices remain dated for reference and may have been superseded.
Recreational Crab Traps Restricted in Central Management Area to Protect Whales from Entanglement while Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishing Opportunities Continue
Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)Commercial Dungeness Crab ‘Pop-up’ Fishing Gear Now Authorized for the Entire Central Management Area, Depth Restriction in Northern Management Area to Protect Whales from Entanglement
Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishing Opportunities Continue with Alternative ‘Pop-Up’ Gear to Protect Whales from Entanglement
Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)Cold Water Signals Along West Coast Could Help Assess Whale Entanglement Risk
Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)NOAA Fisheries Seeks Input on Groundfish Rules Proposed to Reduce Entanglements
Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery to Open in Humboldt County
Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery to Open in Portions of Northern California, One Area Further Delayed Due to Public Health Hazard
Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)Recreational Dungeness Crab Fishery to Open in Last Closed Area of Humboldt County After Delay Due to Public Health Risks
Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery to Open January 5 in Central California; Recreational Crab Trap Restrictions Lifting Jan. 2
Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)Recreational Dungeness Crab Fishery Opens in Del Norte, Mendocino and Parts of Humboldt Counties After Delay Due to Public Health Risks
Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)NOAA Announces Confirmed U.S. Large Whale Entanglement Numbers for 2024
Read the official notice (opens in a new tab)FROM THE SHOP
Notes on the gear
Tunnel wire and color
Fishermen ask whether the wire in a tunnel, and its color, changes how crabs come in. The Dungeness trials we can point to are about escape rings, not wire color.
Read the shop noteREFERENCE GUIDE / REVIEWED SEPTEMBER 20, 2026
Gear rules &
season checks.
Our dated guide to California’s 2026–27 line-marking deadlines, whale-entanglement restrictions, vessel monitoring, and reporting. Check current agency notices for changes since this review.
Read the fishing guide