Tag Archives: Dungeness crab

Dungeness crab season opens strong in Southeastern Alaska

s_topTEMP325x350-8421 fv outlookDungeness crab season is now open, and fishermen are flocking to the sea earlier. This time last year, there were 151 permits registered, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Petersburg Shellfish Biologist Joe Stratman said. The 2014-15 season ended with 192 permit holders. This year, there are already 193 permits registered, he added. “We have an increase in effort this year,” Stratman said. And the results of last year’s season may be a contributor, he added. Read the rest here 20:28

Crab prices spike to $9 a pound in advance of Chinese New Year

As the Dungeness crab season reached the end of its peak this month, commercial crab fishermen saw a massive increase in what processors paid per pound. In Oregon and Washington, fishermen reported they were getting about $9 per pound. Some heard rumors that this could skyrocket to $11 right before Valentine’s Day. The season started in December at a negotiated price of $3.10 per pound, which later rose to $3.50 per pound, an increase over last year when fishermen saw prices of $2.62 per pound at the start of the season. By Christmas, fishermen were getting close to $4.50 a pound. Read the rest here 12:16

Shell-Shocked

shell shockedBay Area residents could enjoy Dungeness crab for half the year, if it weren’t for big businesses squeezing out local fishermen and shipping much of the crab elsewhere. I was here to fish — for Dungeness crab with a small-boat operator who supplies crab for East Bay markets and eateries. The harbor was lined with row after row of commercial fishing boats with names that were, variously, punny and sweetly earnest: Lost Claws. Lulu. The Out Cast. Pro Fishin’t. Stacy Jeanne. Read the rest here 14:01

Big ocean waves give Dungeness Crab Christmas vacation

Like those heady days when salmon are coming in on joyful and full boats, crab season can enliven Noyo Harbor with motion, aromas and noise. And then take it all away, leaving the place silent and with only the faint aroma of the sea. That was the crabby up and downs of the past two weeks. Unlike the salmon, the gyrations of the crab population are not surprising or signs of doom. Biologists predict choppy cycles in crab numbers, even if they don’t entirely understand the causes of them. Read the rest here 09:27

First Dungeness crab loads reach Marin docks

marin crab openerThe first commercially fished Dungeness crab arrived on Marin docks Saturday, much to the delight of shellfish lovers amped to crack open some shells. Western Boat & Tackle in San Rafael got an early load on Saturday that had customers clawing at the store’s seafood counter all afternoon.  Read the rest here 15:46

Crab season: ‘It’s strange for them to be so full at the first of the season’

CHARLESTON, Ore. — With Dungeness crab season now in full swing, commercial fishermen are flooding Oregon’s coastal ports with thousand of pounds of crab. Scott Adams, plant manager for Hallmark Fisheries, said they have a use for every crab in the multiple catches a boat may make each day. If a crab is not up to par the meat is picked out in a labor-intensive process called backing. The crab is cooked then put on ice to be shipped out. Adams said the labor and the price of crab make it an extremely expensive (yet popular) product of the sea. [email protected]  10:07

“The crab are out there, but you have to work this year. This year, experience is going to pay,” – The Coos Bay World: Expect Great Crab, OK Season

A commercial crab fishing season that was delayed for two weeks is drawing mixed reviews in the opening days. The quality of crab is great, experts say, but for fishermen and processors the season may be just average. [email protected]  19:30

Oregon Commercial Dungeness crab season delayed

NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Fish and Wildlife officials say the commercial Dungeness crab season on the Oregon coast will be delayed through at least Dec. 15 to allow the crabs to fill with meat. [email protected]  11:14

Sport crab fishers have slow start on Monterey Bay – Commercial crabbers gearing up for Nov 15 start

“Crab populations are doing well across the state,” said Pete Kalvass, a senior environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “We look at what has happened historically.” Last season’s commercial catch was the highest on record since 1915, when it was 1.1 million pounds, Kalvass said. Based on the two previous seasons that had good catches, the department estimates this year will be similar. more@montereyherald  12:03

Elwha River building beaches again: Crab found where it once was too rocky

Miller, a coastal hazards specialist with Washington Sea Grant, came across a Dungeness crab that had tucked itself into fine-grain sand onto the lowest portion of a beach east of the river mouth, just north of where Sampson Road on the Lower Elwha Klallam reservation ends. more@pdn  11:43

Guest commentary: Congressman Jim Costa’s move to gut the ESA will destroy the Delta – Carolee Krieger, California Water Impact Network.

Congressman Jim Costa is at it again, doing everything he can to drain the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta and send the water south to the megafarms of his agribusiness cronies in the western San Joaquin Valley.The Bay/Delta system comprises the largest estuary on the West Coast. It is a vast aquatic nursery that sustains not just our salmon, but our Dungeness crab, white sturgeon, and herring fisheries as well. By allowing unrestricting pumping, we would assure the death of the Delta’s already beleaguered ecosystems. continued

NorCal crab season delayed Daily News

 Northern California commercial fishing boats will have to wait until the end of  December to fish for Dungeness crab. The commercial Dungeness crab fishing  season north of Sonoma County is now scheduled to open Dec. 31.