Crabbers wary of middling haul
By: John Upton
Examiner Staff Writer
November 13, 2008
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| Gearing up: Wesley Bird loads crab nets onto a fishing boat at Fisherman’s Wharf on Wednesday in preparation for the start of crab season Saturday. (Cindy Chew/The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Crabbers at Fisherman’s Wharf have spent recent weeks prepping pots for the opening of the Dungeness crab season, scheduled for Saturday, but this year’s haul might be small, according to ecologists and traders.
Bumper hauls in recent years could mean less from this year’s harvest, California Department of Fish and Game marine biologist Peter Kalvass said.
“It goes through a natural cycle,” Kalvass said. “Based on the trend over the last couple of seasons, it looks like we’re probably in more of an average or perhaps slightly below-average catch year.”
The slim pickings caught by recreational fishers since their season began at the start of this month appear to confirm predictions of a poor season, but the real test will come once commercial crabbers head into the waters.
A small haul this year would be expected to push crab prices up, but the poor economy might have a countering effect, according to wholesale fish trader Angel Cincotta of Alioto-Lazoio Fish Company.
Crab prices last year were a little below $2 per pound, according to Cincotta.
“Crabs have become a luxury, so people are going to go buy their peanut butter before their crab,” Cincotta said.
This year’s per-pound price has not yet been agreed upon — and under state law, the crabs can’t be caught until a deal has been reached between the crab boat owners association and wholesale fish traders, according to Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Associations executive director Zeke Grader.
Negotiations usually stretch into the final moments before the season begins, he said.
About 60 crab boats are ready to leave Fisherman’s Wharf, according to Cincotta and Grader. If a deal is reached by the weekend — and if the weekend weather is favorable, as is predicted by the National Weather Service — crabbers this year could land a haul in time for Thanksgiving.
Due to the Cosco Busan oil spill in November 2007, commercial crabbers were prohibited from dropping their baited pots for several weeks into the season due to safety concerns.
Shortly after the incident, lawyers negotiated to get some cash compensation in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 for the 72 affected crab boat owners. The money was considered a downpayment against future claims, according to attorney Michael Duncheon, who said he is still negotiating on behalf of the boat owners.
Lawsuits will be filed if negotiations do not yield more results, Duncheon told The Examiner on Wednesday.
