Half Moon Bay Rebrands Crab Fest After State Delays Fishing Season

HALF MOON BAY (CBS SF) – Uncertainty over the start of the Dungeness crab season has ended the first Half Moon Bay Crab Fest before it begins.

Festival organizers have decided to throw the "SOS Seafood Fest: Sustaining Our Seas" instead, which will add a discussion of how to enjoy seafood while sustaining ocean ecosystems.

The SOS Seafood Fest will take place Jan. 30-31, with the first Half Moon Bay Crab Fest slated for 2017.

The change comes because there still might not be any crab to eat when the festival rolls around. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife pushed the start of Dungeness crab season, scheduled for this month, back until levels of domoic acid, a neurotoxin, found in local crabs have returned to safe levels.

The high levels of domoic acid have been attributed to a massive toxic bloom of algae along the California coast caused by warmer than usual ocean temperatures. Crabs from Oregon to Santa Barbara have been found with high levels of domoic acid.

Exposure in humans can cause nausea, diarrhea and dizziness.  Exposure to high levels can cause short-term memory loss, epilepsy or even death.

Even without crabs, there will be plenty of fun at the SOS Seafood Fest, organizers said. Numerous food trucks will gather in the lots around the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company in Princeton-By-The-Sea along with tents for beer, wine and cocktails. Food and drink packages will be available for purchase.

They will be accompanied by a concert stage and a variety of booths for arts and crafts, local surf businesses and ocean advocacy groups.

The educational portion of the event will be led by speakers chosen by the Google Food Team to discuss ocean warming and sustainability, the seafood chain and how restaurants are shaping the future of local seafood.

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