For lovers of local Dungeness crab, the wait for their favorite crustacean is finally over.

Fresh-caught crab could be landing on docks by Tuesday evening and in stores Wednesday now that a nearly 2-week-old stalemate over the price of the delicacy has broken abruptly.

“Everybody’s gone fishing,” said fisherman Jim Anderson, who was hastily preparing his boat at Pillar Point Harbor Monday morning.

The season sprang to a start after a handful of crabbers struck a deal to sell their catch for $2.25 a pound and headed out Monday as a meeting of crabbers was still under way in San Francisco, fishermen said. As word spread that some crews were going to drop their traps, everyone else followed suit. Getting on the water quickly is essential for the crabbers as the best catch is hauled up and sold within the opening week or so of fishing.

The commercial season actually started on Nov. 15. But boats had stayed docked while crabbers refused to fish until seafood buyers agreed to pay them $2.50 a pound for the prized crustaceans. Most purchasers were offering $2, a 25 cent increase over last year. The crabbers said that price didn’t leave them enough profit amid rising fuel and equipment costs.

The sudden end of the stalemate caught some fishermen by surprise, and some were left scratching their heads about the final price for the crabs. Duncan MacLean, captain of the Barbara Faye, said fishermen normally fix a firm price with buyers before anyone leaves the harbor. But because only a few people appear to have that agreement, it’s unclear what everyone else’s catch will go for.

“They think they’re going to get $2.25, but they’re not guaranteed anything,” said MacLean as he headed out to fish.

Despite ill will over some fishermen apparently breaking ranks, the boat crews dove into their work Monday morning. Pillar Point Harbor was crawling with workers wheeling circular crab traps toward boats and loading other gear onto their vessels.

Fisherman will face some tough weather as they drop their traps anywhere from a ½ mile to several dozen miles from shore. Visibility will be good, but gusting winds as fast as 40 mph and up to 16-foot waves are expected Wednesday.

“It’ll be kind of ugly as far as wind goes,” said meteorologist Christine Riley of the National Weather Service.

The start of fishing, though, is good news for local crab aficionados who were disappointed that Thanksgiving spreads were missing their favorite seafood. It looks like the rest of the holiday season won’t suffer the same shortage. Fisherman are expecting an excellent year of big, meaty crabs.

“We’ll be on the docks waiting for them,” said Melodie Madsen, manager of the restaurant Barbara’s Fishtrap in Princeton-by-the-Sea.

She said the restaurant didn’t lose any business during the price standoff but saw many disappointed customers. Now that the season’s first crabs are headed for hungry customers, she said people won’t mind paying a little extra.

“They just want crab,” she said.

Staff writer Aaron Kinney contributed to this report. Contact Joshua Melvin at 650-348-4335.