No crabs for holidays, Bay Area's dungeness crab season delayed once again
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - The Bay Area’s Dungeness crab season is facing yet another delay. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has postponed the start of the commercial season until at least Dec. 31, citing concerns over humpback whales in the area. The delay was initially pushed to Dec. 15 last month.
"It’s very frustrating," said David Westendorf, owner of Pelagic Grill and Catch Harbor Pub in Half Moon Bay. "It’s a California tradition to have crab for Thanksgiving, and we’ve missed a couple of years in a row."
Westendorf said his tanks normally would be brimming with more than 500 Dungeness crabs, but this year they’re empty. Instead, the restaurant has turned to helping recreational crabbers by offering to clean, cook, and prepare their catches for a fee.
The commercial fishing industry, however, continues to wait for the green light from the CDFW. Captain Stephen Melz, who operates the vessel ‘Sunrise’, says the delays have halved his income.
"This severely impacts our livelihood and deprives the public of the opportunity to enjoy holiday crab," Melz said.
The postponement is intended to protect humpback whales, which are at risk of becoming entangled in crabbing gear. Fishermen have been testing new "pop-up" traps designed to reduce that risk by keeping buoys and lines submerged until retrieval.
"That gear has been a bright spot," said Melz. "It allowed us to fish around the whales safely."
Fishermen are currently awaiting CDFW’s next assessment on Dec. 20, which could potentially reopen the season earlier.
"I’m here to make money, and I can’t wait to start crabbing," said a crew member of the ‘Sunrise’.