Crab Season In The Bay Area Begins, Despite Whale Delays

By Angela Johnston

Published December 18, 2019 at 6:29 PM PST

The first shipment of crab arrives off John Mellor's boat

For many people in the Bay Area, the holidays aren’t complete without a big meal of fresh Dungeness crab. The commercial season was supposed to begin on November 15th, just in time for Thanksgiving. But this year, fishermen had to wait a month to set their traps.

Late starts have been more common in recent years. And every day of missed fishing can cost the crab industry thousands of dollars.This year, the delay is because of a big lawsuit, and big whales.

Crab season opened just a few days ago, and KALW’S Angela Johnston was down at the docks as the boats came in.

"If it says one or two entanglements means you close the season for the entire season, there's no way a person can stay in business, we'd all have to quit fishing." - Fisherman John Mellor

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Angela Johnston

Angela Johnston is the Senior Producer of Uncuffed and an editor in the KALW newsroom. She holds a Master’s degree in journalism and graduated from KALW’s Audio Academy program. She’s worked for KALW in numerous roles - from the deputy news director, to the health and environment reporter, and she's covered everything from lead poisoning to climate change. Her work has aired on KALW, KQED, Reveal, and The Pulse. She also freelances as a producer and editor for Cosmic Standard and AFAR Media. Outside of work, she loves to swim in the bay, surf small waves on her longboard, read, backpack, cook, and garden.

See stories by Angela Johnston