Great news compared to last year , I’ll check out the catch this weekend at the Santa Cruz harbor . WFD this weekend . Dungeness crab . YAY !!!
Exciting news! Are there any cooking / eating restrictions, such as those suggested for last year’s season? Specifically, do we still have to clean the guts out first and avoid drinking any of the water used to steam?
PPQ here I come!!
woodhouse fish co in SF is having a $20 special today with crab + greens + potatoes + bread. Might be worth paying a visit (unfortunately we have a high school event to attend 
anyone knows what the price at the boats @ princeton harbor is? Will it be super crowded to go buy crabs from there this weekend?
There is one limit on the fishery, though, as a 60-mile stretch of the coast between Point Reyes and the Mendocino-Sonoma county line is not yet open because of sporadic domoic acid showing up in tests conducted by the California Department of Public Health. However, recent tests have shown the domoic acid levels to be dropping, except in one part of Bodega Bay. Otherwise no worries , looks like a good season .
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What kind of prices are people seeing this year?
Does anyone know if some of what’s on this page indicates the price at the dock? Specifically some location sounds like names of ships.
I haven’t checked out the prices at the Santa Cruz harbor yet . I like to buy my crab live . I’ll see Saturday when I purchase them . I’m assuming $6.00 a lb .
I believe they say to avoid eating the innards.
Yes, based on when we went 2 years ago. Allaine is a boat at Pillar Point Harbor. So it does look like $6-$7/lb.
Any recent sources that still suggest this? I remember from this Sept 4 article that even if the domoic acid were only in the guts, it would still not be allowed for sale (quote below). I was hoping since tests show no more toxin, we could still eat the tomalley safely.
Another proposal would allow the sale of cleaned and cooked crab when tests show domoic acid to be at low levels and concentrated in the viscera, or the guts. The protocol for the Department of Public Health is to issue an advisory, which leads to a closure, when crabs show levels of domoic acid at or above 30 parts per million — even when the toxins are just in the viscera, where they tend to concentrate.
From the Sac. Bee Nov 2nd
“State health officials are giving consumers the all-clear to eat crab meat caught off Northern California’s coast, but as a precaution they’re advising against eating the crab’s internal organs where potentially fatal toxins can become concentrated.”
I also heard the same advice repeated on the Local News.
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Thank you for confirming! I think we will wait another year then… sad!
I picked up a nice live crab today at the Santa Cruz harbor . Seven dollars a pound . I have a picture of it on the WFD thread .
That looks reasonably big? Some people suggested that for the first couple of days the crabs in the markets were on the small-ish side.
It’s a 2.3 pounder
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$3.99/lb at McKee San Jose
Straight from the boat. Long lines. Sold out after a while.
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Was at pillar point today (Sunday) about 3pm. Lot of disappointed people milling around. No crab to be had. Don’t know if they were there earlier and just sold out or because of weather, boats weren’t pulling pots up.
Talked to the crab fisherman . They say it’s a little bit slow . Only 2-3 per pot . You might have to get there earlier . I’m sure Wednesday is going to be banging .
Had some great local dungeness legs at Sam’s this afternoon. Not cheap but they were fantastic!
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