Dungeness Crab in Crescent City | Photo: Jessica Cejnar
Seafood lovers in Humboldt and Del Norte will finally have access to the local Dungeness crab starting next weekend, after negotiations between California’s crab fleets and processors closed on Friday.
Harrison Ibach, president of Humboldt Fishermen’s Market Association, told the Advanced post On Saturday, processors and fishermen set a price of $ 2.75 per pound for the Dungeness crab. Fishermen initially asked for $ 3.25 a pound, but processors say the market was severely affected by the closure of restaurants due to COVID-19. Although the price is lower than he expected, Ibach said he is happy that the process is over and that the season can finally begin.
“We are looking forward to a safe and orderly start to the season,” said Ibach, adding that the fishermen’s associations have a “gentleman’s agreement” to start fishing almost at the same time. This discourages fishermen from collecting more than their fair share of crab, while discouraging them from leaving in dangerous weather conditions to start early, he said.
Bay Area fishermen will start preparing pots on Monday and our local fisherman should start midweek, said Ibach, making crabs available to consumers over the weekend or early next week.
The California Department of Fisheries and Wildlife opened the commercial season for the Dungeness crab on December 23, much later than usual. The season was postponed in central California to prevent whales from getting caught in the crab’s gear, and was delayed in the northern management zone – which includes Humboldt and Del Norte counties – due to the low weight in meat quality tests.
Based on November’s low-quality meat tests, Ibach said he does not expect a large volume of crabs this year. Combined with the delay in the harvest and the low price, this can be bad news for fishermen, many of whom depend on the revenue from the crab harvest. But Ibach said he was trying to stay positive.
“I think everyone is looking forward to getting started and we have high hopes that maybe we will have a decent season,” he said.
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