Crab season struggles to get under way

The West Coast had to settle for turkey this Thanksgiving.

A delayed start to the Dungeness crab season in the Pacific Northwest and a price standoff in the Bay Area prevented fresh crab from reaching markets for the holiday this year.

“This is kind of unusual that they are standing firm and not going out,” said Pete Kalvass, a senior marine biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game. “To miss the Thanksgiving market is kind of a big deal.”

During past price disputes between fishermen and seafood processors, typically some fishermen would break the voluntary strike and the rest would follow — but not this year, Kalvass said.

Some large vessels from the North Coast region traveled south for the central coast season, which started Nov. 15, Kalvass said.

“I know there are big boats that went down that are just sitting down there waiting for the strike to break,” Kalvass said.

The Bay Area processors are offering $2 per pound — 25 cents more than last year, but the area’s commercial crabbers said they will not go out for less than $2.50 per pound.

The average price statewide for California crabs last season was $2.06 per pound. The California crab catch broke records last year for poundage and price with 27.48 million pounds of crab worth nearly $57 million.

Recreational crabbing is the only way to get fresh crab right now. That season started Nov. 5.

Crabs looking lean from preseason quality tests prompted the tri-state fishery managers to delay the season 15 days from Point Arena to the Canadian border, pushing the opener to Dec. 16.

The next round of quality testing for the North Coast is scheduled for this weekend, and depending on how plump crabs look, the season opener could stand as is or be pushed back another 15 days, Kalvass said. The season will automatically open in mid-January even if crabs average below the 25 percent meat mass requirement, Kalvass said.

Crescent City Harbormaster Richard Young is willing to wait.

“It’s important to have a good-quality product so we can get the best possible price,” Young said. “There’s no future in trying to sell green strawberries.”

The Bay Area price wars are not as likely to affect the market in the North Coast, which is more closely associated with Oregon and Washington, where market prices are higher, Young said. Oregon crabs went for $2.30 per pound last year. Washington’s were $2.81 per pound.

“They’ve always had a different price dynamic down there than there is up here,” Young said.

Any vessel that decides to lay crab pots in the central coast area — once the strike breaks — will not be allowed to harvest crab in the north region until 30 days after the start of the season. It’s hard to gauge how many local boats are taking that gamble, Young said.

“It's not clear where they might be, but the harbor’s pretty empty right now,” Young said.

Some boats that have docked in the Crescent City Harbor in the past will not be around this year simply due to space.

The harbor had around 200 slips before the March 2011 tsunami. Currently there are only 80 temporary slips, and all of them are already reserved, said Harbormaster Richard Young.

“We’re trying to be ready in case they all come home,” Young said.