The season opens more than a month later than usual with new gear restrictionsNew Year’s Eve marked more than just the start of 2023 for fishermen on the central coast. It was also the start of the commercial Dungeness crab season. The fishery traditionally opened around November 15, but the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has delayed the season in recent years in an effort to reduce the number of whale entanglements. CDFW followed the delay this year with a 50% gear reduction, meaning fishermen must keep half their allotted traps on board. Vertical fishing lines connect crab...