Crab season is over, sort of – new, experimental gear could extend the season until summer.

The abundance of whales in Central Coast waters, something everyone cheers for, has at the same time presented a challenge: How can we create a crab fishery that can coexist with whales? The last several seasons, which historically have started on Nov. 15 and peaked during the holidays, have been delayed due to the presence of whales and kept crab off tables during a time when the demand is highest.

The problem is that whales can get entangled in traditional crab fishing gear, which includes a trap on the seafloor and a rope in the water column that goes up to a buoy on the surface.

One potential answer to that challenge is ropeless crab fishing gear, where weighted buoys can be remotely released – via an app on a smartphone – and rise to the surface. Then the pots are pulled up, and there’s no danger to whales.

The traditional crab fishing season closed April 8, but this year fishermen have been allowed to apply for permits to keep fishing crab using experimental, ropeless gear, which could be the future for late crab season fishing, and become more essential for local fishermen trying to make ends meet as closures of other fisheries stack up. On April 10, the state announced the salmon fishery, set to open in mid-May, would close for the second consecutive year.

The idea is to test the equipment to see if it’s feasible – i.e., whether fishermen who use it can make a profit. Ryan Bartling, an environmental scientist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, stresses that it won’t make or break the fishery; upwards of 90 percent of landed crab is caught in the first two months of the season, he says.