California Dungeness Crab Fishery Sees Promising Results with Pop-Up Gear Trials
Recent full-scale trials of pop-up fishing gear in the California commercial Dungeness crab fishery have demonstrated both effective crab harvesting and a significant reduction in the risk of whale entanglements. The trials, conducted under a California Experimental Fishing Permit (EFP), involved 12 commercial fishermen operating from ports spanning Morro Bay to Crescent City during the spring of 2025.
The project focused on ropeless, “on-demand” gear developed by Sub Sea Sonics and Guardian Ropeless Systems. This technology eliminates vertical lines in the water column by storing lines and buoys with the traps, activating them only when signaled acoustically.
These trials are particularly significant as the conventional spring Dungeness crab fishery off Central California has been closed for six years due to concerns about entanglement risks to whales and sea turtles. Pop-up gear offers a potential solution for reopening these waters while upholding conservation objectives.
Data from the trials revealed over 120 fishing trips were completed, utilizing 1,163 gear strings and a total of 25,721 traps deployed at depths ranging from 27 to 392 feet. Fishermen landed over 217,000 pounds of crab, generating an estimated $1.4 million in revenue. The gear demonstrated a 98% reliability rate, and all gear strings were successfully recovered - either through standard operation or backup retrieval methods – resulting in a 100% recovery rate and a gear loss rate of only 0.2%. This contrasts sharply with conventional single-trap gear, which typically experiences annual gear loss rates between 5% and 10%.
Khevin Mellegers, a Santa Cruz-based crab fisherman and long-time participant in the EFP, emphasized the broader impact of the trials, stating he aimed to benefit himself, his family, and other smaller boat operators. He reported experiencing only two failures across 568 gear sets.
bart Chadwick of Sub Sea Sonics highlighted the importance of the full-scale nature of the trials, stating, “For the first time, fishermen in the California Dungeness crab fishery had the chance to trial popup gear at full scale, using their full stack of traps…They were able to show that even with very high amounts of gear in localized areas and challenging spring weather conditions, all the fishermen and gear came home safely, good numbers of crab were caught, and no significant gear interactions occurred.”
Russ Mullins of Guardian Ropeless Systems echoed this sentiment, asserting, “Two consecutive EFPs have shown that the Sub Sea Sonics and Guardian Ropeless pop-up system is affordable and highly reliable while at the same time virtually eliminating entanglement risk. It is time for the gear to be authorized so that all licensed commercial crabbers can participate.”
Dr. Geoff Shester, California campaign director and senior scientist for Oceana, characterized the results as “nothing less than wildly accomplished,” and believes the testing proves the gear is “successful, profitable, enforceable, whale-safe, and ready to restore a vibrant spring crab fishery.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is currently finalizing regulations and anticipates authorizing the use of pop-up gear fleetwide by spring 2026.
