A decade later, rock crab pots will finally grace fisheries in northern California. This is after the Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) temporarily opened the shores it closed in 2015.
According to the CDFW on April 24, 2025, the fisheries resume from the California/Oregon border to the northern jetty of Humboldt Bay.
Fisheries will therefore extend from the northern state lines to the Santa Barbara county border in the southwest.
The decision stems from findings that fish are now safe from the domoic acid traces that had led to the coastline’s closure in 2015.
CDFW conducted tests with rock crab samples from crabbers in the central and northern state parts “over the course of several years.” Along the way, the tests had led to a brief reopening of fisheries in the Humboldt County’s coast in May 2019.
Although this commercial opening is limited, it will nevertheless revive a sector that used to earn the northern shores $1,000, annually.
Even if the northern fisheries only brought 365 pounds in annual landing values before 2015, fish units sold well.
For its limited availability, a rock crab costs at least $18.5 a pound in retail seafood markets in the United States.
Rules for Crabbers
While earnings are a priority, fishermen will still have to follow similar rules as those of the foregoing snow crab fishing.
According to CFDW, crabbers must avoid whale entanglement, a cause that delayed the California snow crab season in January 2025.
For the current red rock crab fishing, the department’s statement advised fishermen to “avoid setting gear when whales are present.”
The northern rock crab fisheries in California are therefore back and other fish from here are safe to consume. To learn more on the status of the West Coast’s industry for this particular crustacean, skim the data below.
Statistics on Rock Crab Fisheries in California
The rock crab fishery in California extends from Crescent City in the north to San Diego in the south. Statewide, the most lucrative fishery is the southern one, namely in Santa Barbara and San Diego. The San Diego coast alone handles 18,000 rock crab landings annually, according to the California Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (CFDW).
Which ports land the most rock crab in California?
Between 1980 and 2024, Sant Barbara in southwest California has been representing over 50% of annual landings, per a CFDW’s graph. The Los Angeles and San Diego coasts follow at less than 20% of landings apiece.
How much does California produce in rock crabs annually?
According to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA), California lands up to 1,010 tonnes of rock crab per year. Out of these, a meager 365 pounds come from the erstwhile closed northern California shores. The table below, courtesy of NOAA gives a glimpse of statewide landings before 2015, and then 2023.
| Year | Landings (Tonnes) |
| 2023 | 428 |
| 2015 | 1,010 |
| 2014 | 1,077 |
| 2013 | 896 |
| 2012 | 793 |