San Francisco area crabbers end holdout, move to “organized start”
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First came whales, then came a price most West Coast Dungeness crabbers deemed too low to fish for, but after nearly two months of having their gear at the ready, San Francisco area fishermen finally set their pots Monday, 11 January, at 8 a.m. They will begin hauling on Wednesday, 13 January, at the same time, under an “organized start” – agreed to by fleets out of Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, and Bodega Bay – to prevent a mad dash, shotgun start once a price had been agreed to.
“Holy Christ has this season been a mess,” Dick Ogg, who runs the F/V Karen Jeanne out of Bodega Bay, said. “But the fleet has really come together. If this works, which it looks like it will, it will be pretty amazing and will have a lasting imprint on the fleet.”
Dungeness crab opener, Bodega Bay, Calif. Faces of California Fishing photo.
First came whales, then came a price most West Coast Dungeness crabbers deemed too low to fish for, but after nearly two months of having their gear at the ready, San Francisco area Dungie fishermen finally set their pots Monday, Jan. 11, at 8 a.m. They will begin hauling Wednesday at the same time, under an “organized start” agreed to by fleets out of Half Moon Bay, San Francisco and Bodega Bay to prevent a mad dash, shotgun start once a price had been agreed to.
“Holy Christ has this season been a mess,” said Dick Ogg, who runs the F/V Karen Jeanne out of Bodega Bay. “But the fleet has really come together. If this works, which it looks like it will, it will be pretty amazing and will have a lasting imprint on the fleet.”