Commercial crabbing season takes sail

Much of California’s coast opened for commercial Dungeness crab fishing Sunday, finally allowing traps to be cast after months of delays.

Dungeness crab season, which is normally expected to begin in November, opened at 12:01 a.m. Sunday morning in all but two zones along the coast. Zones 1 and 2, encompassing the area from just south of Point Arena to the Oregon border, will open on Jan. 15.

Fishing Vessel Rosella sold out their haul of around 2,000 pounds of crab in just over four hours after returning to dock at Half Moon Bay’s Pillar Point Harbor.

“This just saved us for the whole year,” said fisherman Allen Stevenson from the Fishing Vessel Rosella.

When asked about whether he’s been looking forward to the opening of crab season, first time Pillar Point customer Daniel Coxum of San Jose said “Absolutely.” He bought four crabs at $12 a pound.

“Thought it was going to happen in November, but it didn’t happen in November. It’s a good thing to get out here,” Coxum said.

As in recent years, opening day was delayed due to the presence of whales in the fishing area and the dangers of them being tangled in gear. The northern zones are further delayed because of the “inability to conduct industry-sponsored meat quality testing,” according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

That decision is made with consultation from commercial and recreational fishermen, environmental groups, scientists, and agency partners, according to a December press release.

“Making the decision on when to open the Dungeness crab fishery is never an easy one. It requires careful consideration of the need to protect endangered species while sustaining the livelihood of California’s fishing communities,” said Charlton Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, in a December press release.

In addition to establishing a Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group in 2015 to strategize ways to address the number of whales being trapped in fishing gear, the state has invested more than $6 million into improving monitoring, developing new risk evaluation tools and backing a gear marking program.

“It is always a good thing when California’s commercial fishing fleet can get to work, delivering healthy, sustainable seafood to our communities,” said Lisa Damrosch, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, in the December press release. “Commercial fishing representatives remain committed to being productive partners in finding workable, long-term solutions, and we very much appreciate CDFW’s hard work and commitment to collaborating with the industry to set an opening date that balances harvest opportunities with the need to reduce risks to marine mammals.”