California wildlife officials yesterday (Wednesday) postponed the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season to protect whales and sea turtles from becoming entangled in fishing gear and drowning.
The scheduled Nov. 15th start of the season has been pushed back to Dec. 1st.
The recreational fishing season will be allowed to open on Saturday.
The postponement affects fishing zones from Mendocino County north of San Francisco to the Mexican border.
The state will again look at the risk of entanglement at mid-month and decide whether the Dec. 1st opening date should be delayed.
