The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced opening dates for commercial Dungeness Crab fishing in three zones SOUTH of the Mendocino Sonoma Line, but has delayed the opening for two zones further north because of the inability to test for toxic domoic acid in the crab meat. Zones to the south will open January 5th, with a 40 percent trap reduction because of the ongoing risk that humpback whales could get caught in the gear. If the domoic acid tests come back clean, they hope to open the zone from the Oregon border to the Mendocino Line on January 15th with a 15 percent trap reduction.CDFW is also lifting the temporary recreational crab trap restriction beginning Jan. 2, between the California/Oregon border and Cape Mendocino, and further south between the Sonoma/Mendocino County line and Monterey County. The department says setting Dungeness crab fishing dates is never easy because thefishery is complex, and careful consideration is required to balance supporting California’s fishing communities and reducing the risk of entanglement of whales and sea turtles off the coast.