Neil Frasier holds up the first Dungeness crab of the season sold from the fishing boat Plumeria at Fisherman’s Wharf, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The 2.4 pound crustacean was among the catch coming in to port after a two-month long crab season delay. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Crab lovers flocked to the Port of San Francisco and Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay on Thursday for the first crustaceans of 2024. It’s the official start of the Bay Area’s commercial Dungeness crab season after two months’ worth of delays to keep whales migrating south from getting caught in fishing lines.
The decision from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife opened up crabbing from the Sonoma/Mendocino line south to the Mexican border but came with a key restriction: Crabbers are required to adhere to a 50 percent reduction in traps. That ruling will be reviewed after the CDFW’s next assessment, scheduled to take place on or around Feb. 15.
Meantime, consumers should find local Dungeness in restaurants and grocery stores in the coming days, although inclement weather this weekend could keep some boats in dock.
Eric Catapang, left, and Ian Balmy weigh and unload hundreds of Dungeness crab from the fishing boat of Dano Snell and his son, Cole, during the first official day of commercial crab fishing season at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Matt Juanes brings the Plumeria back into Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, Calif., with the first crab catch of the season, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The commercial fishing season was delayed for two-months out of concern from marine mammals. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Ian Balmy, left, unloads hundreds of Dungeness crab from the fishing boat of Cole Snell, center, and father, Dano, during the first official day of commercial crab fishing season at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) About 900 lbs of Dungeness crab is unloaded in a container from a fishing boat of Dano Snell and his son, Cole, during the first official day of commercial crab fishing season at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) People wait in line to buy fresh Dungeness crab from a fishing boat during the first official day of commercial crab fishing season at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Neil Frasier holds up the first Dungeness crab of the season sold from the fishing boat Plumeria at Fisherman’s Wharf, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The 2.4 pound crustacean was among the catch coming in to port after a two-month long crab season delay. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Jake Karp lined up first to buy fresh Dungeness crab from Matt Juanes, the captain of the Plumeria, after it returned to the dock at Fisherman’s Wharf, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The crustaceans were among the first catch coming in to port after a two-month long crab season delay. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Wildlife wardens Promes, center, and Lt. Ober make inspections on fishing boats during the first official day of commercial Dungeness crab fishing season at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Neil Frasier holds up the first Dungeness crab of the season sold from the fishing boat Plumeria at Fisherman’s Wharf, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The 2.4 pound crustacean was among the catch coming in to port after a two-month long crab season delay. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
