Local crab fishermen face challenges with late start to season
SAN FRANCISCO -- Crab fishermen who have been anxiously waiting for state officials to announce the start to the fishing season will still face a number of challenges when they can finally drop their traps next weekend.
The commercial crabbing industry has been hit especially hard this year. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife delayed the season three times already because of humpback whales in the area.
On Thursday, officials announced commercial crabbing can begin on Dec. 31.
It's been a long wait for local crabbers desperate for some much needed revenue. Every crab pot is checked and readjusted as Captain Matt Juanes does some early preparation for opening day.
"Making sure everything is perfect. That's the goal," said Juanes.
Multiple delays means no income since salmon season ended months ago.
"We don't have a paycheck. When you come in walking with nothing it kind of hurts," said Juanes.
The aroma of good coffee abounds on his small boat. He works alone most of the time on the Plumeria, but dreams of hiring more deckhands to help.
He can't wait to sell to customers off the dock, like he did last year for the first time.
"Getting the crab and seeing the live crab for the first time is really cool. They say, 'I don't want to touch it!'" said Juanes.
Crabbers traditionally get the green light to start in mid-November. But the longer presence of humpback whales when they would usually have started their migration south over the last few years and the danger of entanglement with lines and buoys have kept the commercial industry at bay.
"I always try to be a part of the solution and not the problem. In our industry we always have to adapt," said Juanes.
Juanes' commute to Lodi is too far and costly. He often sleeps on the boat wondering if his small business can survive.
"Not being able to sustain -- making a living, paying bills, feeding my family and keeping a roof over their head -- and having to get a land job is my worst fear," said Juanes.
Even crabbers with three times as many pots as Juanes feel the economic pressure.
"We're dying on the vine. If it's not salmon it's crab. We're hit from all sides," said fisherman Brand Little, the captain and owner of salmon and crabbing boat the Pale Horse.
Nearby restaurant workers have gotten used to crab-less holidays, but that doesn't mean the impact on their bottom line isn't felt.
"What we miss is the opportunity to sell crab to our guests during the Thanksgiving-Christmas holiday season," said Scoma's Restaurant General Manager Michael Cope.
According to state officials, three humpback whales got tangled in crab gear so far this year.
Many crabbers say one is too many, but also emphasize they can't survive with the season getting shorter each year.
"This fleet just can't take it. It's not only that but the infrastructure -- the fuel docks, ice docks, small buyers. Another one just sold out that's been here 30 years," said Little.
"We don't have the time on the water to actually make a living," said Juanes.
But Juanes can't simply untie his love for the sea. And bringing home a good catch for crab lovers dockside is a feeling that is hard to top.
"Coming back and seeing a line full of people waiting to buy your crab from off the dock here, that's a super high," said Juanes.
The news of the season's start next week brings some much needed joy to the docks, but not without restrictions.
Commercial crabbers will be limited to half their permit size when the season starts on the last day of the year.
Advocates for humpback whales say the 50% limit helps, but the only way to truly protect whales is to use ropeless fishing gear.
In San Francisco, crabbers will be allowed to sell again off the dock to the public.