This New Year, new efforts needed to protect whales

Many Californians are missing something from their holiday tables this year – the sweet, fresh taste of Dungeness crab. While the Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery is expected to open on January 5th in Central California – a delay from its traditional holiday season – Northern California remains closed until at least January 15th, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. For the third year in a row, these seafood delicacies haven’t made it to our holiday or New Year celebration table. 

So what’s the holdup? Two major problems are making it tough to catch crabs safely in California. First, there’s an increasing amount of toxic algae in the ocean that can make the crabs dangerous to eat. These algae blooms are appearing more frequently as our oceans get warmer. Second, the ropes used to catch crabs have been entangling humpback whales as they migrate along the coast, putting these marine mammals at risk.  The recent numbers show that the number of whales being entangled by ropes, including the vertical ropes used for crabbing, has been the highest since 2018. That is why crabbing has been put on hold – to protect the whales during their migration. 

Humpback Whale with huge pectoral fin raised, lunge-feeding in the Channel Islands National Park, Santa BarbaraPhoto by Vikki Hunt | Shutterstock.com

So what now?

To bring this tradition back, we need to embrace sustainable fishing practices and do more to protect our ocean.

One solution is implementing ‘ropeless’ fishing gear. Instead of leaving ropes floating in the water where whales can get caught, these traps use modern technology to stay on the ocean floor until it’s time to pull them up.

Preventing toxic algae bloom is more challenging because its caused by climate change and warming ocean temperatures. However, we can make a difference by protecting our ocean from pollution and preserving marine biodiversity through measures like expanding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Under these protected areas, marine life can find refuge, helping maintain healthy and diverse ecosystems

Our ocean is changing. As waters continue to warm, the cascading impacts on marine life worsen. Combined with ongoing pollution, these changes demand that we take ocean protection seriously and adapt how we harvest seafood. When sustainable solutions allow us to enjoy holiday crab feasts again, that will truly be something worth celebrating.