Commercial crab season to begin as toxin levels drop

Crab pots are expected to be back in the water when the commercial season finally opens on March 26, 2016. Crab pots are expected to be back in the water when the commercial season finally opens on March 26, 2016. Photo: James Tensuan, The Chronicle Photo: James Tensuan, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close Commercial crab season to begin as toxin levels drop 1 / 10 Back to Gallery

Juicy Dungeness crab will soon be back on the menu after the state lifted the commercial fishing ban Friday, clearing the way for boats to begin hauling in the big, spindly creatures next week.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife lifted prohibitions against fishing everywhere south of the Sonoma-Mendocino county line after state health officials determined the crabs “no longer pose a significant human health risk.”

It means the coast is essentially clear of domoic acid, the potentially deadly neurotoxin that has been found in crabs. Health officials said “low or undetectable levels” of the toxin were found throughout the range, including San Francisco, Half Moon Bay and Monterey.

“We're very happy to be going back to work. We hope everybody gets their big pot of boiling salt water going,” said Larry Collins, president of the Crab Boat Owners Association. “I hear they are big and hard and full of meat and beautiful-looking and safe. It's time to let the crab party begin.”

The ruling permits recreational fishing immediately, but the commercial crabbers will have to wait a week before they can drop their crab pots in the water, as was pre-arranged, or until 12:01 a.m. March 26, to be exact.

“We’re thrilled to see that the progression of domoic acid in the crab has declined to the point that we can have a commercial crab season,” said Jordan Traverso, the spokeswoman for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. “We were worried that there was not going to be any season at all.”

Traverso said crabbing is still banned from Mendocino County northward, where “there are still some crab coming in hot.”

“There’s no more domoic acid at this point,” Traverso said. “The algal blooms are on their way down. What’s out there is left over from before and hasn’t fully metabolized.”

Some limits urged

Still, the California Department of Public Health is urging consumers not to eat crab internal organs, also known as the viscera or guts. They also recommend that the liquid used to cook the crabs be discarded and not used in sauces, broths or soups.

Domoic acid, which can cause seizures, coma and even death when consumed by marine mammals or humans, began accumulating in ocean algal blooms in April. The blooms, or red tides, thrived in warm water off the California coast that were reinforced by the El Niño weather pattern.

Poisonous tides 40 miles wide were documented through October across California all the way to northern Washington — the biggest collective bloom of toxic algae marine biologists and oceanographers had ever seen on the Pacific coast. The problem, experts have said, is that the poison accumulates in the tissues of many creatures that Dungeness crab eat.

The decision to open crab season comes just as some crabbers were giving up. The commercial and recreational Dungeness crab seasons officially end June 30, but much of the industry packs up gear in the spring and prepares for salmon fishing season, which begins May 1.

Disaster relief

Despite the partial opening, Charlton Bonham, the director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, said he will continue to support declaration of a federal fishery disaster, which Gov. Jerry Brown asked for in February. At the time, Brown estimated that nearly $49 million had been lost by fishermen unable to pursue crab because of the delay in the season.

“This has been a very difficult season for hardworking Californians who have suffered significant financial hardship due to this natural disaster,” Bonham said.

The opening will, however, provide at least some needed relief for fishermen and women who desperately need the money, Traverso said.

“Some of them are done and have already written off the crab season and are moving on, but some of them are out there chomping at the bit to get in the water,” she said. “We’re very happy to be able to have some part of the season that’s salvageable.”

The commercial crab fishery is extremely lucrative, bringing in $60 million to $95 million a year during a normal season.