Commercial Dungeness crab season postponed at least another month; McGuire holds fisheries hearing Nov. 19

MENDOCINO Co., 11/16/19 — The opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season in Mendocino, Humboldt counties has been postponed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) until at least December 15 due to poor results from recent quality tests conducted by the agency. The tests will be preformed anew around December 1 to re-evaluate the season’s opening date. Domoic acid warnings have also affected the recreational Dungeness season and recreational shellfish season this fall along Mendocino’s coast.

The State Senator Mike McGuire, who represents most of the North Coast including Mendocino, will be holding a hearing concerning Dungeness crab and the state of California’s fisheries this coming Tuesday, November 19 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the California Capitol entitled “State of the 2019-20 Dungeness Crab Season and Putting Fish Friendly Highways in the Fast Lane.” The hearing will be live-streamed at www.senate.ca.gov. McGuire is the chair of the California Legislature’s Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, and the hearing will focus on both Dungeness crab and the fish passages across our state.