Dungeness crab season delays bring frustration to SF Bay seafood industry
SAN FRANCISCO – Bay Area crab fishermen are again missing out on their holiday haul, as the Dungeness crab season gets delayed into at least January.
For Kenny Belov, the co-owner of Fish Restaurant in Sausalito and overseer of two Dungeness crab boats, the annual anticipation of local Thanksgiving crab has become a recurring disappointment.
"This is year six or seven where we haven't had local Thanksgiving crab. It doesn't seem to be a local tradition anymore," lamented Belov, expressing the shared frustration in the San Francisco Bay seafood industry.
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The delay in the commercial Dungeness crab fishery's commencement, initially slated for November 15, has created a setback.
"When you take away Dungeness crab season, you take away 100% of their ability to make a living. Without that one fishery, they have nothing to fall back on," emphasized Belov, reflecting on the economic impact of this delay.
Navigating these uncharted waters, Belov explained their attempts to adapt: "So we try to navigate that path by finding areas that might be open, so we found ourselves with the Oregon coast open. We are pro-fishermen, so we support them while we wait."
The repercussions extend beyond the boats, affecting the menus at local establishments like Fog Harbor Fish House on Pier 39.
"We would like to have a crab menu that we offer every year when it's local crab season of about 20 crab dishes, and unfortunately, this Christmas time, we are not offering that, due to the fact that it is not the local crab, and the price point of the northern crab is little bit more than when we would see our locals open," shared Bob Partrite, the restaurant's COO.
Despite the setback, there's a glimmer of hope for the future.
"I know that folks out there are not thrilled there is not a local product for us this year, but we will hold on hope. We will have Valentine's Day crab, I hope will be a new holiday to celebrate with the local Dungeness crab," expressed Belov, as he looked forward to better times ahead.