Dungeness Crabs Credit: CDFW
January 24, 2026 - The Director has declared(opens in new tab) that the last closed area of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Humboldt County [southern boundary of the Reading Rock State Marine Protected Areas (41o 17.6' N. latitude) to Cape Mendocino (40° 10.0’ N. latitude)] will open at 12:01 a.m., Jan. 30 to be preceded by a 64-hour gear setting period beginning at 8:01 a.m. on Jan. 27 under a 15% gear reduction(opens in new tab). State health agencies determined that Dungeness crab no longer poses a significant human health risk due to domoic acid and recommended(opens in new tab) lifting the delay in the area. With this announcement, all areas of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery are open.
The Fair Start Provision(opens in new tab) is triggered when there are commercial season delays along the West Coast for Dungeness crab. This provision prohibits vessels that fished in another area prior to the opening of a delayed area from fishing, landing and transiting in the newly opened area for a period of 30 days. This will apply to the fishing area that is scheduled to open Jan. 30 and vessels subject to Fair Start may not begin fishing in this area until Mar. 1.
For more information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions(opens in new tab) for the current 2025-26 commercial Dungeness crab season.
The latest information on current fishing season closures related to domoic acid will be updated on CDFW’s fishery closure information and health advisories website or by calling CDFW’s Domoic Acid Fishery Closure Information Line at (831) 649-2883.
The latest domoic acid test results for Dungeness crab are posted on the CDPH’s Domoic Acid(opens in new tab) website (subsection Analytical Data – Crabs).
For the latest consumption warnings, please check for any Dungeness crab health advisory information on the CDPH's shellfish advisories page(opens in new tab) or by calling the CDPH’s Biotoxin Information Line at (510) 412-4643 or toll-free at (800) 553-4133.
Source: CDFW
