Let’s Go Fishin’: Dungeness season peaks

Crab season opened for sport fishing Dungeness crabs in the beginning of November with full pots, and the commercial season, which started mid-month, has been very productive as well.
Ports from Monterey Bay to the Sonoma coast have produced heavy hulls of crabs for commercial fishermen and the market demand is high.
Recreational crab fishermen started strong from Central to Northern California with limits (10 crabs per person) the norm for most boats.
The pursuit of crab for sport fishermen has gained interest the past decade and each year seems to draw more fishermen.
It is a vast resource of crabs out there and seems to be properly managed with steady renewing numbers.
Ten years ago, the crab craze started to creep its way south as sport anglers had fished Dungeness crabs in Northern California for years, but many people in Monterey Bay were not sure how strong the population was.
With each recent year, new locations are found and more sport and commercial fishermen are dipping their pots in the bay.
With the draw comes hardship, as some may find missing gear or crab pots that seem to have been checked and cleaned out by unethical anglers.
This may come with the territory but is still a shame as setting, baiting, and maintaining crab gear is not easy or cheap and taking the time to check gear to find no crabs is a letdown. The crab season starts to peak with catches and desire around the holidays.
Hans Haveman from Hand H Fresh reported: “This is a banner year. Most boats are coming in full to capacity with 3 to 9 thousand pounds of crabs.”
Haveman added that, as well as the local market, the global demand for crabs is very strong. This trend will persist through the end of the year.
The commercial season that started from Sonoma coast to the south was terrific with a strong price set at $3 per pound off the boat to the wholesale market. Consumers may pay three times this price at the market.
Crabs can be purchased live at the Santa Cruz Harbor from commercial boats off the dock and at H and H Fresh.
The commercial season opened from the Sonoma coast to the Oregon border on Dec. 1. This may flood the market if the weather is good, and the price may drop at that time. The northern crab opener will depend on the quality of crabs at that time.
Dungeness crabs molt, and at that time, they have soft shells and low meat content — this impacts the opening date in the northern waters.
The weather this time of year also affects productivity for the sport and commercial crab season.
So far it has been a great season. If catching crabs is on your list, I hope it is productive. If a crab dinner is part of your family’s holiday tradition, I hope it is delicious.
– Mike Baxter has fished in the Monterey Bay Area since he was a boy and has been a licensed charter boat captain for more than 20 years. Contact him at [email protected]. He also hosts a fishing show on radio station KSCO (1080) from 8:06 to 9 p.m. Thursdays April through the end of August.