Dungeness crab season 2026-27: what we know before this week's whale-safety review
The recreational opener is set for Nov. 7 and the commercial default for Nov. 15. The state's whale-entanglement review this week could change that.
By the Bay Area Brief staff · Edited by Seamus McKenna · · 3 min read
California State Capitol in Sacramento on a sunny day. Photo: Mackinacbridge / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped, resized and color-graded). Archive photo of the area; not a photo of the events in this story.
California's recreational Dungeness crab season is scheduled to open Saturday, Nov. 7. The default commercial opener is Nov. 15.
What happens this week: the state's Dungeness crab working group meets Oct. 27, and the CDFW director's risk assessment is expected around Oct. 30. That assessment looks at whale and sea turtle entanglement risk, and it can delay openers or restrict trap gear.
What comes next: further assessments are scheduled for Nov. 17–21 and Dec. 6–22.
Why it matters: last season, the late-October assessment delayed the opener. Check CDFW's Whale Safe Fisheries page for the latest decision before setting traps.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
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