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California’s Dungeness crab commercial fishery was delayed to Jan. 1 to protect humpback whales from entanglement in gear.

Four whale entanglements this year triggered the closure, and toxic domoic acid contamination is adding to restrictions.

Recreational crabbing opens Nov. 1 in most areas.

For many Californians, crab bakes, crab cakes and crab feeds are traditional holiday fare.

But the need to protect humpback whales in California’s coastal waters combined with widespread domoic acid contamination along the North Coast have put the brakes on the Dungeness commercial fishery and parts of the recreational fishery this fall.

Consuming shellfish contaminated with domoic acid c

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