The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is dealing another tough blow to the North Bay’s crabbers. Ocean waters south of the Mendocino County line are closing to recreational crabbers using traditional crab traps at noon on May 15th. It’s to protect humpback whales from getting entangled during their spring migration. The decision follows several recent entanglements along the Central Coast. But, sport crabbers can keep catching crabs in hoop nets or snares through the end of the season on June 30th. The state already made commercial fishing crews south of the Sonoma Coast remove all their gear by mid-April.
