CALIFORNIA / 2026–27 DUNGENESS CRAB
Gear rules &
season checks.
What fishermen need to check before setting pots: line marking, whale-entanglement restrictions, vessel monitoring, and reporting. Commercial requirements come first; recreational dates are listed separately.
This is a dated reference guide. Rules and season conditions may have changed since the source review. Check current agency notices before fishing.
SEASON STATUS / SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Check your opening and fishing zone
At the September 20 source check, CDFW listed both California Dungeness crab fisheries as closed. Read the latest CDFW zone status and opening declarations before setting gear. Last season’s restrictions are not an opening notice for 2026–27.
Recreational North Coast: November 7, 2026 is the scheduled reopening in CDFW’s Northern and Mendocino region guides. Check for delays and separate crab-trap restrictions. This is not the commercial opening date.
November 1, 2026: the next line-marking deadline
Adopted rule · California commercial Dungeness crab. Purple-and-black marking expands to the upper 15 fathoms (90 feet) of the buoy-to-pot line on at least 25% of each permit holder’s deployed gear. Lines connecting buoys already require marking on all gear; buoy gangions are excluded.
| Effective date | Deployed gear requiring marking |
|---|---|
| Nov. 1, 2026 | At least 25% |
| Nov. 1, 2027 | At least 50% |
| Nov. 1, 2028 | All deployed gear |
The rule allows up to five fathoms nearest the pot to remain any color, including on shorter lines. Check the required marking method and the short-line exception against 14 CCR §132.8(h) and CDFW’s illustrated line-marking guide, pages 4–5, before preparing line.
Whale-entanglement measures can change during the season
CDFW’s Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program (RAMP) can change where, when, and how commercial pots are fished. Check the current declaration for your zone’s opening, trap reduction, depth limit, and gear-removal deadline. Follow CDFW’s current assessments and declarations, rather than a previous season’s announcement.
Pop-up gear: authorization can carry zone, depth, trap-number, and notification conditions. Confirm the authorized system and conditions before using alternative gear in an area closed to conventional pots. See CDFW’s alternative-gear guidance.
Commercial requirements to check before fishing
- Vessel monitoring.
Use a compliant satellite or cellular system that records position at least once a minute throughout applicable fishing trips and makes data available to CDFW within 24 hours. AIS alone does not meet this requirement. Confirm power, operation, and an active data subscription. See CDFW’s electronic-monitoring compliance guide.
- Buoy identification and tags.
Check the commercial fishing license identification number on your buoys and current biennial tags on each main buoy. Review CDFW’s buoy-marking requirements.
- Reports on the 1st and 16th.
Report while commercial Dungeness gear is deployed. Include permit number, zone, depth range, trap count, and newly lost traps. Two weeks after your final report, submit total lost traps and their buoy-tag serial numbers. See CDFW’s reporting instructions and official reporting form.
What is still a draft?
CDFW describes its conservation plan and incidental-take permit application as submitted to NOAA in January 2026. A draft or application is not an issued permit. Follow CDFW’s conservation-plan updates and NOAA’s permit and public-review notices for confirmed decisions and comment opportunities.
Before you leave the dock
Check CDFW’s crab notices for season openings, crab-quality and domoic-acid updates. Confirm your zone and gear rules separately. This article covers selected California requirements; use the official rules for your fishery and area.