Tag Archives: Pillar Point Harbor
San Mateo County crabbing season producing a solid yield, gear reduction remains a challenge
A month after commercial Dungeness crab season opened in the Half Moon Bay area on Jan. 18, residents and tourists alike can purchase fresh crab off the back of local fishing vessels docked at the Pillar Point Harbor. Seafood lovers can also pick it up fresh at nearby fish markets or enjoy it cooked seasonally at nearby restaurants, which serve both whole crabs and different variations of seafood boil medley. Half Moon Bay fisher Barry Day reiterated the sentiment. “We’re having a good year now, but with the quieter years, you need all the gear,” he said. Nevertheless, he said, fishers in the Half Moon Bay harbor are relatively “busy with what we got,” Day said. more, >>click to read<< 07:55
Fishermen ask Harbor District to gut slip fees
At a public meeting hosted by the San Mateo County Harbor District on Thursday, many fishermen and stakeholders at Pillar Point Harbor pleaded with staff not to increase berthing rates while local business remained at a standstill. In late June, the Harbor Commission voted to increase most of its rates and fees by 5.6 percent to keep up with inflation, except for slip and berthing rates for commercial fishers. At the time, some commissioners suggested a discount should be given to owners of commercial vessels who lost money due to shortened crab and canceled salmon seasons. Capt. William Smith, who goes by “Capt. Smitty,” said boats should be getting a reduction in their rent as many operators are losing between 50 to 70 percent of their income due to the loss of salmon season. >click to read< 10:35
Fishermen at Pillar Point hold fast for better days
Captain Mike Burian, who fishes under the vessel, Prime Time out of Pillar Point Harbor, bought a boat last year when it sounded like a good deal; however, his dream of running a profitable crabbing and salmon boat quickly turned into a nightmare after multiple delays in the season and various obstacles made it increasingly difficult to turn a profit. “I always wanted to do this and someone was selling the vessel, pods and permits and I thought it was a good idea at the time,” Burian said. “If I did well, I was going to do it full time and fish for salmon as well; but, at this time, there is no way to make a living with this as far as I can see.” >click to read< 08:47
Public hoist can’t be used for commercial fishing – Commercial fish buyers may be on hook for harbor fees
The San Mateo County Harbor District is considering how to regulate sales between visiting fish buyers and commercial sellers within Pillar Point Harbor and will soon be discussing ordinances that will impact how much non-berthed vessels will pay in fees. After discussing the option of requiring visiting fishing vessels to obtain a Commercial Activity Permit before offloading product to a tenant fish buyer, the board directed staff to come back with an amended ordinance so that it would not officially require those visiting boats to pay $250 for the permit. This new ordinance will also determine if wholesale offloads to non-tenant buyers will be prohibited from the floating docks. >click to read< 09:39
Locally sourced seafood attracting crowds to the fishing boats in Half Moon Bay
Commercial trawlers pan for bottom-feeders at least three miles from shore. Purse-seiners use nets closer to the surface, while traditionalists fish the way the Egyptians did with hooks and lines. Nothing causes a bigger commotion than Dungeness crab in late fall, when eager customers line the docks like going to the DMV. The crustacean has joined turkeys as a Bay Area staple of the holiday dinner table. “All the crab pots are like little money banks that you just pull up and dump out the money,” Hassan said. Weekend dock sales have become integral to survival for anglers like Hassan. Smaller boats don’t catch enough to supply wholesalers, so they bypass the supply chain for direct sales. >click to read< 13:31
The first Dungeness crabs are in, and they’re meaty!
“The crabs are meaty, and my haul was good,” Capt. Barry Day said upon his return to Pillar Point Harbor on the San Mateo County coast, where he sold the crustaceans straight off his boat for $6 a pound. Dan Chavez, the meat and seafood department manager at Draeger’s in Blackhawk, echoed that sentiment after receiving his store’s first shipment of live crabs Thursday. “They’re beautiful! They’re 2 pounds and over,” he said. “I called everyone and said, ‘Crab at my house tonight!’” click here to read the story 16:41
Crab season in full gear: Commercial season off to good start at Pillar Point Harbor
One week after the long-anticipated commercial Dungeness crab season roared to life, hundreds of fishermen and crustacean-craving customers are eagerly indulging in the multi-million dollar industry. State wildlife officials gave the thumbs up for commercial fishermen to begin reeling in crab pots Nov. 15, just in time to satiate a Thanksgiving market. A rainy opening weekend was initially feared to keep customers who buy directly off the boat at bay. Fortunately, gray skies were not a deterrent to those who’ve waited more than a year for fresh crab, said commercial fisherman Barry Day, who reflected on the first weekend of the season. “The leadup to it, I was sitting in the coffee shop thinking, ‘aw, they’re still all scared and there might be a couple of people.’ But I came up here and I fell off my god damn chair. It was raining and we still got bombed. People, people, people! And I’m so grateful for that. I thought wow, the people are back. It’s fantastic,” Day said. “Even in the rain, we were all dripping and wow, totally awesome.” Read the story here 08:10
Next Dungeness crab season remains murky while fishermen are optimistic
After an algae-produced neurotoxin significantly curtailed the last Dungeness crab season, commercial anglers are glad to hear that the upcoming season won’t be spoiled — at least not to the same extent. “We’re not going to see closures of the entire state,” said Raphael Kudela, an ocean sciences professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Ben Platt, a crab fishermen who docks his boat at Pillar Point Harbor, said in email to the Review that he and others were feeling optimistic that the domoic acid would not interfere with the start of this year’s season. “We are all hopeful that our season will start as normal on Nov. 15 in Central California based on the overall cooler water temperatures off our coast,” he wrote. “We were able to have a limited season last spring and get people used to buying and eating crab again. “Many of our fishing families were able to get back to work and start paying their bills again,” he said. Read the story here 19:35
Pillar Point Harbor bustles as crabbing opens: Commercial fishermen preparing for short Dungeness season
Months behind schedule after California’s annual nearly $90 million Dungeness crabbing industry was shuttered this year, commercial fishermen are anxiously preparing for the season to open this weekend after state officials announced the delectable crustaceans are finally safe to eat. Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay is again a flurry of action with captains and their crews gearing up to reel in the year’s first commercially-caught crab as early as Saturday morning. Porter McHenry, captain of the Merva W and president of the Half Moon Bay Seafood Marketing Association, said he’s eager to put his crew to work and locals are rushing to get ready after being given just a week’s notice. Read the rest here 08:41
FISHFEST – First Fish and Fleet connects California coastsiders to their seafood!
The family-style event was meant to raise awareness of the local commercial fishing industry by introducing the public to those who actually go out to sea to do it. The food trucks lining the parking area helped. Each of them offered a dish made with fresh fish from a boat kept at the harbor.Sam’s Chowdermobile offered chilipepper rockfish and chips caught by the fishing vessel “Mr. Morgan.” A booth representing Beyond the Border in El Granada offered black cod or black gill tacos made with fish from the “Moriah Lee. Read the rest here 19:02
Harbor improvement grant lacks fishermen support: Frustration boiling over about Pillar Point Harbor control, district decision-making
While seeking funds to update one of the most productive commercial fishing ports in the state, the San Mateo County Harbor District is receiving pushback from a group of fishermen who say they no longer trust the district has their best intentions at heart. Read more here 16:55
Letter: Safety at Pillar Point Harbor should come first
The new hoist location on Johnson Pier at Pillar Point Harbor (“New fish hoist raises concerns at Pillar Point” in the April 18 edition of the Daily Journal) will harm small business owners by causing unnecessary delays in commercial fishing operations, creates a workplace hazard and jeopardizes public safety. smdailyjournal.com Read more here 10:08
Squid bring black ink to Pillar Point Harbor
The local fishermen at Pillar Point Harbor know the ropes of netting crab and salmon, but the real cash crop these days might be squid. Rubbery, slippery squid is a low-price, high-yield sea catch that exploded in a frenzy in recent days, bringing in a fleet of fishermen from across the West Coast in a gold-rush craze for calamari. continued@halfmoonbay
