Season's first Dungeness crab expected at Bodega Bay today

<p>White-sparred fishing boats are expected to bring the first loads of fresh Dungeness crab to the docks in Bodega Bay today.</p><p>Commercial fishermen from throughout the North Coast set their crab pots in ocean waters off Sonoma County on Friday after reaching an agreement with the fish processors who buy crab in San Francisco and Bodega Bay.</p><p>The fishermen agreed to $2 a pound, the same starting price they accepted last year, but less than the $2.25 they had proposed for this season.</p><p>The catch likely will be smaller than it has been in recent years, fishermen have said.</p><p>They base their prediction on the slow results in the recreational fishery already under way, as well as on the relatively small number of juvenile crabs observed last season.</p><p>Chris Lawson, president of the Fishermen's Marketing Association of Bodega Bay, said Friday he could spot 20 other boats in the distance as he set his first load of crab pots off Point Reyes.</p><p>The crab season starts here each year on Nov. 15, then the fishing grounds off Fort Bragg and Eureka open on Dec. 1.</p>