Commercial crab season is on hold from the Mendocino County line south to the Mexican border until at least Dec. 16, after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife determined the risk of entangling whales remains too high. News of the extension came as no surprise to commercial crabbers, who have experienced similar delays for the past three seasons spurred by stricter regulations from the state’s Whale Safe Fisheries program. The waters off Marin have been a hotspot for feeding whales this fall. On Nov. 9, scientists spotted more than 40 humpbacks from a plane along the North Coast, including dozens off Point Reyes and in the Gulf of the Farallones. The first announcement came just before Halloween, delaying the commercial crab opener until Dec. 1. Then, just before Thanksgiving, regulators extended the delay until mid-December, with the possibility of another extension. Sport crabbing, which began on time last month with a ban on traps, has been off to a slow start in Marin, with many one-inch and two-inch crabs showing up in hoop nets, but few big ones. “There’s a theory that there’s more Dungeness out deep where the sportfishermen aren’t going, and a lot of babies could indicate a lot of parents that we haven’t seen in the shallow,” said fishing blogger Willy Vogler, who co-owns Lawson’s Landing. “I’m hoping for lots of adults hiding in the deep water.” Sonoma crabbers have had better luck, particularly north of Bodega Bay.