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
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