After a late start to the Dungeness crab season, fishers along the West Coast, including Santa Cruz County, are reporting extremely low stock numbers. It’s not clear why there are so few full-sized crabs, and it could be just a “down year,” according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The low numbers are leading some Santa Cruz fishers to move on to other fisheries early, while others are capitalizing on the high price, which has doubled from previous years.
Dungeness crab
Posted inFood & Drink
Lily Belli on Food: Dungeness crab is here, restaurateurs’ 2025 predictions, La Bahia food & drink and alternatives to the dinner treadmill
A heaping helping of news, notes and recommendations from around Santa Cruz County’s food scene via Lookout correspondent Lily Belli.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Dungeness crab season will open in Central California on Jan. 5
After three postponements, the Dungeness crab fishing season will open throughout Central and Southern California, including Santa Cruz County, on Jan. 5. Santa Cruz fisher Tim Obert predicts that the price for consumers will be high this year, due to a low volume of crabs.
Posted inFood & Drink
Dungeness crab season delayed in California until at least Dec. 31
The Dungeness crab season will remain closed in California through the end of December. Whale entanglements in fishing gear are at a six-year high, and nonprofit group Oceana calls for “stronger measures” to protect wildlife. A few Santa Cruz County markets plan to bring in crab from Oregon or Washington, where the season is open, for the holidays, while others say they’ll wait for the season to open locally.
Posted inFood & Drink
Dungeness crab season closure will continue into December
The commercial Dungeness crab season throughout California will remain closed until at least Dec. 15 due an abundance of migrating whales off the coast, which can become entangled in the fishing gear.
Posted inFood & Drink
An update on the start of Dungeness crab season is coming next week
On Nov. 21, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will assess the risk of marine entanglement in order to determine whether or not the commercial Dungeness crab fishing season can open in early December. The fishing season has been postponed for the last six years due to an abundance of migrating whales off the coast, which can become entangled in the fishing gear used to harvest crabs.
Posted inFood & Drink
When it comes to seafood, what does ‘local and sustainable’ really mean?
More Santa Cruz County restaurants are focusing on sourcing “sustainable” and “local” seafood, but while the shift toward environmental consciousness is a good thing for the ocean and for diners, these terms are nebulous. Local industry experts and chefs weigh in on how they define sustainable seafood, give suggestions on what to look for on restaurant menus and outline the challenges to using locally caught fish.
Posted inFood & Drink
Crab season delayed while humpback whales migrate
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has pushed the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season to at least early December, due to an abundance of humpback whales migrating along the Central Coast. This is the sixth consecutive year that the commercial season has been delayed to protect whales from becoming entangled in fishing gear used to harvest crabs.
Posted inEnvironment
Dungeness crab season to close locally on April 8 to protect migrating whales
The Dungeness crab season will close on April 8, more than two months earlier than its traditional closure on June 15, due to the presence of migrating humpback whales off the coast of California. It’s yet another blow to Santa Cruz County’s fishing industry facing delays, restrictions and cancelations on its most lucrative catches.
Posted inFood & Drink
Crab gear reduction for commercial fishers extended through mid-March
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will extend a 50% gear reduction for local Dungeness crab fishers through at least March 14.