Crab Command and Control – California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group
“Whales getting entangled in fishing gear is a huge crisis,” says John Mellor, a commercial fisherman and a member of the working group since its inception. “It has to be dealt with, and dealt with in real time.” Once or twice a month during Dungeness crab fishing season, which normally runs from November 15 to July 15, scientists in the working group conduct a series of mini research projects looking at four risk factors for entanglements: how many whales and sea turtles are around, where whales are likely to forage, the number and locations of recorded entanglements, and information about fishermen, including their landing data, license numbers, and the locations of their traps. >cxlick to read< 08:35
The Blob of warm ocean temps has moved on and only one entanglement as of 5/15 so,,,,case closed.
Not so on the East Coast where warming temps are sending Right Whales into Canadian Crab gear territory. Canadian crab gear is heavier than lobster gear and thicker rope. They have been killing on average 2-3 per year lately while lobstermen kill ¼ whale per year.
Canada has been making more of an effort to close certain areas to crabbing and cruise ships, which have been taking 6 more per year.