Angela Valdez sorts crab at North Coast Fisheries in Santa Rosa after it arrived from Crescent City and was cooked in preparation for shipping to market Wednesday, December 2.

Fishermen are on the crab; prices begin to drop

ROBERT DIGITALE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

After a poor start off Bodega Bay, commercial fishermen are hauling in good catches of Dungeness crab off Eureka and Crescent City.

The northern fishing grounds opened this week, and the first shipment arrived Tuesday night for North Coast Fisheries in Santa Rosa. On Wednesday morning a truck brought the fish processor its second shipment of 30,000 crabs from Crescent City.

Michael Lucas, an owner at North Coast Fisheries, said the result will be lower prices for consumers. Some supermarkets are advertising crab for $3.99 a pound, $2 to $3 less than when the season began two weeks ago off Bodega Bay and San Francisco.

Lucas and Santa Rosa Seafood Owner Mike Svedise said they have heard reports of large catches to the north, much better than the first landings off Sonoma County. Svedise, who sells at weekly farmer's markets at the Santa Rosa vets building, said he will be selling crab for no more than $3.49 a pound.

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