The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will open the Central California commercial Dungeness crab season on Saturday, Nov. 15, south of the Sonoma/Mendocino county line.

The season opener will be preceded by an 18-hour gear setting period when crab trap gear can be set no earlier than 6 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 14.

The 2014-15 commercial Dungeness crab season marks the second season of the Dungeness crab trap limit program.

The program consists of seven tiers of trap allotments ranging from 175 to 500 traps.

Dungeness crab vessel permit-holders can only fish the maximum number of traps within their respective trap tier as a means to control the maximum number of total traps fished in California waters.

For more information on the Dungeness crab trap limit program, please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/traplimit.asp .