California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Meghan Hertel has assessed entanglement risk under the Risk Assessment Mitigation Program (RAMP) and announced changes to both commercial and recreational Dungeness crab fisheries in Fishing Zones 4 and 5 (Pigeon Point, 37°11’ N Latitude to Point Conception, 34°27’ N Latitude). These changes include authorizing the use of alternative […]
Commercial fishing
Posted inNews
Crab Season Closing to Protect Whales from Entanglement
The North Coast’s commercial Dungeness crab season is officially closing on June 20 at 6 p.m. after a risk assessment was conducted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham on June 13. A confirmed entanglement of a juvenile humpback whale with two different sets of crab fishing gear was […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Humboldt Dockside Market Sells Out of Fish in 30 Minutes
Despite reported poor weather over the past few weeks, the Humboldt Dockside Market debuted in Eureka’s Madaket Plaza on Saturday, June 7, at 9 a.m., selling out of fish within the first 30 minutes. Megan Kenney, director of the North Coast Growers Association’s Harvest Hub, said the market opened with fewer fishers participating than expected […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Fishers Make the Most of a Better Crab Season
The rain is misting over Woodley Island Marina’s Dock B, where the Jenna Lee is moored. Kristen Pinto, in a bright yellow slicker, pulls three Dungeness crabs from the trickling bin on the deck of the adjacent home-built pontoon boat from which the Pinto family sells to the public as Jenna Lee’s Seafood. “It’s been […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Photos: The Crab Has Landed
After delays due to weight and price negotiations, and despite rough seas over the weekend that led to one fishing boat requiring rescue by the Coast Guard, Humboldt welcomed crab boats to its docks and their haul of Dungeness to its tables. Boats like the Sandy B, The Corregidor, the Josie L and the Jenna […]
Posted inNews
‘We Were Blindsided:’ Crab Fishing Closure Could Mean Millions in Losses
At the April 9 Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meeting, the security check-in station resembled a metropolitan airport with a long line of people stretched out the courthouse doors and halfway down the stairs to Fifth Street. All seats in the chamber were filled, the space between the chairs and the wall was filled with […]
Posted inNews
Dungeness Crab Season Shelved Again
Those waiting with bated breath for some locally caught crab have some more waiting to do, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this afternoon. The already delayed opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season has been pushed back to Jan. 15 after quality tests scheduled to take place this week had to be […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Facing the Wind
Local fishermen are on the verge of forever losing local fishing grounds to wind power as California trades one renewable resource (seafood) for another (electricity). The state of California and its citizens are on the front line of the efforts to convert our energy use from the burning of fossil fuels (oil and gas) to […]
Posted inNews
Droppin’ (Recreational) Pots for Dungeness
Dust off your kayak and stock up on butter. While commercial fishing for both rock and Dungeness crab is still on hold in our county due to unsafe levels of toxic domoic acid, which can prove harmful and even deadly to humans, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced recreational Dungeness crab fishing […]
Posted inNews
UPDATE: Hold the Crab
UPDATE: The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to indefinitely postpone recreational crab season. It remains prohibited to take crab anywhere north of the Ventura/Santa Barbara county line until the department changes its mind. “Closure of the fisheries shall remain in effect until [public health] determines that domoic acid levels no longer […]
Posted inStories
Life of Crab
In Humboldt County, crab is tradition. A tradition for families gathering around the holiday table, and a tradition for the families whose lives revolve around the harvest season, when the crustaceans are hauled from the cold sea. It’s the morning of opening day and a line has already formed on Dock B at Woodley Island […]