Dozens of Bay Area crab boats are preparing to head out to sea again after a weeklong standoff over the price of fresh Dungeness crab ended today, an industry spokesman said.
Crab fishing boats in San Francisco, Bodega Bay and Half Moon Bay had been idle since Dec. 5, when dockside fish brokers tried to offer a price below $3 per pound for Dungeness crab, said Larry Collins, president of the Crab Boat Owners Association in San Francisco.
Collins said this afternoon that an agreement has been reached between fishermen and brokers that would put crab boats back in operation and fresh crab back on Bay Area menus.
“We got the $3 per pound we were asking for,” Collins said.
Angel Cincotta, a spokeswoman for San Francisco-based fish broker Alioto-Lazio Fish Company, confirmed the agreement and said fresh crab would start showing up in supermarkets and restaurants by Friday.
Collins said he and other fishermen are spending this afternoon preparing their boats to head out early Wednesday morning.
“We’re heading out tomorrow,” he said.
John Draper, assistant harbormaster at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, said as many as 50 boats were preparing to head out as early as tonight.
“They’re all going to head out at midnight,” he said.
Crab season opened in Bay Area fisheries on Nov. 15 and runs through June, according to the Department of Fish and Game.
Chris Cooney, Bay City News
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