Pillar Point's Crab Boats Are Waiting on the Whales This Year. Here's What the Harbor Offers Instead.

Anyone who drives down to Johnson Pier this November hoping to see crab coming off the boats will find the crab fleet tied up. The reason has nothing to do with weather, crab size or haggling over price. It comes from a whale count, and the rule behind that count gives no option for an opener before January 1, 2027.

The same humpbacks that keep commercial pots out of the water are feeding in big numbers within sight of the harbor. Around El Granada and Princeton-by-the-Sea, this is shaping up as a whale season more than a crab season.

The Delay Is Written Into the Rule

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife manages Dungeness crab through its Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program, known as RAMP. Pillar Point Harbor falls in Fishing Zone 3, which CDFW's in-season regulation changes page defines as running from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line south to Pigeon Point.

On October 23, 2026, CDFW's Marine Region released its preliminary assessment for the 2026-27 season. Staff recommended delaying the commercial fishery in Zones 1 through 5 until at least January 1, 2027. The document explains why that recommendation works more like an instruction:

"Following a total of three or more confirmed entanglements of humpback whales in California Commercial Dungeness Crab Gear during a calendar year, the Director shall not open the commercial season until January 1 or later of the next calendar year."

The 2026 Entanglement Evaluation score stands at 3.25, which is over the threshold. None of the entanglements in CDFW's 2026 table were logged off Half Moon Bay. The listed reports come from Monterey, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara and San Diego. Under the program, though, a statewide entanglement total can keep crab pots out of the water at Pillar Point.

That score could still rise. CDFW notes that several more entanglements reported since August 2026 are pending review by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service. Some of them involve gear consistent with the commercial Dungeness fishery.

In earlier seasons, the fleet sometimes opened on time with restrictions. That route is closed this fall. The assessment says gear reductions and depth restrictions "cannot be considered at this time" under RAMP regulations, and alternative gear can only be authorized after April 1.

Thirty-Eight Humpbacks Counted Off This Stretch of Coast

The statewide entanglement count triggers the delay, and the whale count close to home backs it up. CDFW also tracks Marine Life Concentration triggers, which measure how many whales are actually present in each zone. In mid-October, three surveys went past those triggers.

Zone 3 had the highest count of the three. CDFW also points to ocean conditions. It reports that the marine heatwave off the West Coast has expanded and intensified in recent weeks, and that warming linked to a developing El Niño is likely to push it north over the next several months. The agency warns that a long stretch of warmer-than-normal coastal water may compress the habitat of the humpbacks' prey, which would raise entanglement risk in nearshore areas. The ocean conditions CDFW is tracking offshore are the same ones keeping the pots on the dock.

November 7 Is Still on CDFW's Calendar

Recreational crabbers face a mixed picture. CDFW's San Francisco region regulations page still lists the recreational Dungeness season as scheduled to reopen November 7, 2026. That's two days after this post runs. The October 23 assessment, however, recommends prohibiting recreational crab traps in Zones 1 through 5 until at least January 1, 2027, along with a fleet advisory.

Under a trap prohibition, hoop nets are still allowed. CDFW asks anyone using them to take extra care when setting gear and to follow the mandatory two-hour service interval.

The Director's final call comes after the date this assessment was written. The Whale Safe Fisheries page posts each decision as it's made, and that's where to check before setting any gear. Here's the sequence CDFW laid out:

1. October 23, 2026. Marine Region publishes the preliminary assessment and data.
2. October 27, 2026. The Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group meets to review it.
3. On or around October 30, 2026. The CDFW Director conducts the entanglement risk assessment.
4. November 7, 2026. The recreational season's scheduled reopening date, subject to whatever trap rules the Director sets.
5. Mid-to-late December 2026. The next risk assessment, which will inform the opener or any further delays and trap prohibitions beyond January 1.

Last season, Coastside crab also arrived after New Year's. According to the Coastside Buzz, which republished CDFW's December 19, 2025 announcement, the commercial fishery in Zones 3 through 5 opened January 5, 2026, with a 40 percent trap reduction and presoak starting January 2. Recreational trap restrictions in Zones 1, 3 and 4 lifted January 2. The year before, the Mercury News reported that the Pillar Point boat Rosella sold roughly 2,000 pounds of crab in just over four hours in early January 2025, at $12 per pound for one customer. Crab from the boats in January has now happened more than once.

What's Open on the Water This November

Crab is closed, and the rest of the harbor's season is changing too. Recreational salmon from Point Reyes to Pigeon Point was set for September 1 through October 31, so it has ended. CDFW says the 2026 commercial ocean salmon fishery has concluded.

Rockfish and lingcod are what's left in season. CDFW's groundfish summary shows the San Francisco Management Area open at all depths from April 1 through December 31, and the page notes that rules can change in-season. The fishing has been good. On October 18, Captain William Smith of Riptide Charters reported a day on Deep Reef, about eight miles from the berth, with plenty of rockfish and lingcod up to 15 pounds. The boat then trolled for bonito and stopped at 40 once passengers had enough. Half Moon Bay Sportfishing runs rockfish trips aboard the Queen of Hearts from 27 Johnson Pier.

The San Mateo County Harbor District's Pillar Point Harbor page lists Johnson Pier, dockside fish sales and the fish market as open. Its Looking for Fish? page gives the Fish Line, (650) 726-8724, for availability updates. The Half Moon Bay Seafood off-the-boat directory lists local boats including the Allaine, Cricket, Genesis, Lady Le Blanc, Rosella and Sadie K, with Sadie K's listed catch including black cod. The directory is undated, so the Fish Line is the better way to find out who's selling on a given day.

The Same Whales, From a Different Deck

The humpbacks that kept the crab fleet in port are a short boat ride from the harbor mouth. Riptide Charters runs three-hour whale-watching trips for gray and humpback whales from Pillar Point aboard the F/V Riptide, berthed on H dock. Its October 6 report says the crew found three humpbacks despite fog. New Captain Pete, another Pillar Point charter boat, offers nature trips and cruises along with fishing.

From shore, Devil's Slide offers lookouts. On July 26, 2026, an administrator of the Pacifica Whales forum reported a humpback off the north end of the Slide, about three pier-lengths offshore, visible with binoculars from Roberts Road. The same post named the south end near Egg Rock as another viewing spot. With 38 humpbacks counted in Zone 3 in mid-October, a clear morning on the bluff is worth bringing binoculars for.

CDFW's December assessment will set the next date on the crab calendar. Until then, the Fish Line, the Riptide fish reports and the Whale Safe Fisheries page will tell you what's actually happening at the harbor. Fishing regulations can change in-season, so this post is general information only. Confirm current rules with CDFW before you set gear or book a trip.

Part of what makes El Granada and Princeton-by-the-Sea home is living a short walk from a working harbor and on a coast where 38 humpbacks feed offshore in October. If you're curious what that harbor-side location means for your own property, The Serdy Team would be glad to talk it through. Request a complimentary home valuation, and we'll give you a clear, neighborly read on where your home stands this season.