SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Bay Area residents will be able to add crab to their New Year’s Eve menus this year.
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Hundreds of crab fishermen from Humboldt Bay to the Central Coast have been given the green light by state wildlife officials to begin their season on December 31st, following a six-week delay.
But as the crabbers struggled with delays, now they'll have to contend with the limited number of traps the crabbers can set in Pacific waters.
The unusually late season has been tough on local crabbers as delays have been enacted to protect the safety of marine life like the endangered humpback whales.
"It's definitely really been tough, we're working on almost a month-and-a-half delay this year," said Nick Kreiger, who captains the Arianna Rose.
"Everybody knows the Bay Area's a really expensive place to live, so to have a month and a half with no income – not really be able to make any plans or get another job because you’re waiting to potentially go fishing is tough to impossible," he said.
The Dungeness crab season was delayed three times this year by state wildlife officials as whales can get tangled in crab pot lines.
While the season will be able to commence finally, crabbers will only be able to use about half their gear.
"There are very few whales here, so we feel like we could go out and fish with all of our gear and probably not have much interaction," said Krieger. "But we’re happy to at least go out with half of them."
"At least have the opportunity to make something," he said.
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