A ban on Dungeness crab fishing that has ravaged the state’s fisheries industry was partially lifted last week, when state officials opened recreational crabbing from Point Reyes Station southward. Meanwhile, the commercial crab season will remain closed indefinitely, the Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Wednesday. State officials and crab lobbies have butted heads in recent weeks over whether to open the commercial season everywhere or staggered in sections along the state’s coastline. “If they open it statewide, that would be the first time this area wasn’t flooded with outside boats,” said Josh Churchman, a lifelong Bolinas fisherman. Jordan Traverso, a Fish and Wildlife spokesperson, said the commercial opening is usually staggered to give recreational fishermen time to fish and leave before the bigger boats launch. The crab ban, in place since early November, was spurred by high levels of a neurotoxin known as domoic acid that can cause severe memory loss and fatal seizures. Domoic acid is prevalent in algal blooms; this year’s bloom along the Pacific Coast is the most extensive ever recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stretching from Alaska down past Central California. Experts have attributed it to warm water, an indication that the current El Niño may be taking its toll on marine ecosystems. Also last week, Governor Jerry Brown requested federal aid to recoup the estimated $48.3 million lost statewide in Dungeness crab revenue. He sent a letter to the federal Secretary of Commerce requesting the declaration of a fishery resource disaster—a move that marks the state’s first crab emergency declaration. Officials have advised consumers to abstain from eating crab viscera and to throw away the water or broth used to cook crabs, rather than reusing it in sauces, soups or stews.