Dungeness crab season faces another delay
If you were planning on Dungeness crab for Christmas dinner, better defrost a turkey instead.
The Bay Area’s already-delayed commercial crab season was supposed to start Dec. 23 but was delayed yet again, this time due to price negotiations between crab fishermen and seafood processing companies.
The original delay by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in mid-november was to protect migrating whales from getting entangled in fishing lines.
This time, it’s a price war that is putting the season on hold. And with discussions and negotiations still unfolding, it’s unclear when you’ll be able to find Dungeness crab at your local grocery store or fish market, says Max Boland, general manager of Safe Coast Seafoods, a crab supplier on San Francisco’s Pier 45.
“There’s a large seafood processing company that wants to offer crabbers in the mid-$2 range per pound wholesale,” Boland says. “The fishermen are asking for something in the mid-$3 range.”
They’ll probably agree on something in between, Boland says. Last year, the wholesale price was set at $3 per pound. The retail price range for Dungeness crab can run anywhere from $7 to $20 per pound, depending on the market.
The price negotiations come during an already challenging year for crabbers, following the pandemic, which put a strain on crews, and a major fire earlier this year at Fisherman’s Wharf. Even if negotiations are resolved quickly, the high seas and southerly winds expected later this week may also deter crab fishermen from dropping their pots too soon.
“Certainly rough weather is a concern for the fleet,” says Ryan Bartling, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Safety needs to come first.”
After a weekslong effort to recount ballots in two very close election races in Santa Clara County — including a race for a council seat that was decided by a single vote — election officials have confirmed the results in those contests.
There were no changes in the outcomes in both the Mountain View and Los Altos Hills city council races, according to a statement Dec. 24 from the Santa Clara County registrar of voters.
That means in Los Altos Hills, Lisa Schmidt officially has won her seat by one vote against her opponent Jay Sutaria, by a final tally of 2,495 to 2,494. And in Mountain View, Pat Showalter beat out Alex Nuñez by 58 votes — 12,060 to 12,002.
Automatic recounts are required in the county any time the margin of victory for a race is within 0.25% of the total number of ballots cast or is within 25 votes.
The registrar said the hand recount required 16 days of work by more than 75 staff members. They worked six days a week, and since a policy change in 2016, all costs incurred because of automatic recounts are paid by the county.
All other election results in Santa Clara County were certified by the registrar Dec. 3.
The certified results and the recount results are both posted online at sccvote. org.
Contact Joseph Geha at 408-707-1292.