Crescent City Crab boats … waiting

Originally uploaded by JoeDuck.

Crabbers in Crescent City, CA wait for news that it’s OK to head out fishing. Price, technicalities, and some fisheries concerns delayed the catch a few days but the crabs are coming in now!

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December 15, 2006 - Posted by JoeDuck | california, tourism, travel

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Oregon crabbers reached an agreement on price yesterday or Weds I believe and will be heading out, I would assume, today as this is the first calm day we’ve had in a while.

Dungenss is the best, hopefully we may see $2.99/Lb, not unheard of this time of year in PDX. $3.99 is the lowest I’ve seen thus far.

Comment by Paul | December 15, 2006 | Reply
Thx Paul – love that Dungeness Crab and hope it’s cheap enough to keep costs down on our annual all you can eat crab feast.

Comment by joeduck | December 15, 2006 | Reply
When is the crab feast?

Comment by glenn | December 15, 2006 | Reply
Hey Glenn – not sure yet but next week is looking good and of course you are INVITED!

Comment by joeduck | December 15, 2006 | Reply
I heard us city slickers shouldn’t go to Oregon in the winter it is a might too slippery for us.

So you have urself ur own crab feast eh? Sounds like a party for sure.

Comment by glenn | December 15, 2006 | Reply
Here in Northern California pretty much every year we have to wait until a price is hammered out between the fishermen and processors.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/15/MNGE7MD6EH1.DTL&hw=crab+fishermen&sn=005&sc=266

this is good to:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/Relationships/LoveandRomance/ArticleRB.aspx?cp-
documentid=1500751

Comment by Jason | December 15, 2006 | Reply
How long are they out crabbing?

Comment by glenn | December 15, 2006 | Reply
That second link should be this:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/22/FDG66ME7M11.DTL&hw=crab+fishermen&sn=001&sc=1000

don’t know how that other one got there. . . .

glen,

Don’t know whent the season ends. I think it runs a few months.

Comment by Jason | December 15, 2006 | Reply
Thx Jason – good links!

Glenn I don’t really understand the process well, but I think they all go out frantically at first because you can get a lot more crabs early in the season, so this is the easy money. The season seems to last 2-3 months.

Comment by joeduck | December 16, 2006 | Reply
My only knowledge of this is from the Discovery series about the Alaskian fisherman. I believe it is called Dead or Alive…

Pretty rough stuff.

Comment by glenn | December 16, 2006 | Reply
Am sure Joe had a different meaning, but easy money it isn’t…almost every year crabbers and/or fisherman die off Oregon’s coast. Can’t remember what the statistic is, but my memory is that commercial Ocean fishing is in the top 10, maybe even the top 5, for most hazardous occupations. I toast those brave men & women every time I sit down to a plate of delectable sea spiders, as my brother calls them.

Comment by Paul | December 16, 2006 | Reply
Right Paul – I should have said something like “better ROI on time”… I don’t think Oregon crabbing is in the same hazard league as the Alaska crabbing but it’s not an easy profession I’m sure. Note: Alaska is King Crab where Oregon is almost all Dungeness.

Update: Four days after I wrote this 3 Oregon Crab Fisherman died at the mouth of the Rogue River in Gold Beach. The story got very little attention despite the fact it was just 70 miles downriver from where the Kim Family was lost on their way to Gold Beach – a story that will rank as one the top news stories of 2006.
http://www.currypilot.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=14137

Comment by joeduck | December 16, 2006 | Reply
The show on discovery is called Deadliest Catch

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/deadliestcatch/deadliestcatch.html

Gives you a really good appreciation of just how hard the work is. I believe it is the most dangerous job in the world.

Comment by glenn | December 16, 2006 | Reply
I saw some of those “Deadliest Catch” shows and was amazed at how harsh and dangerous it was up in the Alaska Fishery.

I think on the last one they said something about Government changes to the fishing rules to make it less of a “race” which I understood was one of the reasons it’s been such a dangerous profession.

I also learned I would rather eat a crab than fish for one and I’d rather fish for a crab than … be one.

Comment by joeduck | December 16, 2006 | Reply
No great sales yet, lowest I’ve seen is 4.99/lb at Safeway, and their butcher said the Dungeness have been small thus far, all under 1.5 lbs. I don’t get too excited until they get closer to 2 lbs….anything over that is a bonus….think 2.5 was about the biggest I ever procured.

Comment by Paul | December 17, 2006 | Reply
(15) does the size of the crab affect the taste and quality?

Comment by glenn | December 17, 2006 | Reply
I can certainly attest, as the second articl I linked to above notes, that the Chinese neighborhoods have the cheapest crab. I think I’ve seen 3.99/lb in my neighborhood. There are a lot of asian supermarkets in this neighborhood that always have the cheapest seafood.

Comment by Jason | December 17, 2006 | Reply
The quality is contingent on freshness, the sooner you get it from the ocean to your plate, the better. The size is more about cost/benefit…you’re doing a lot of cracking with dungeness regardless, but once you get under a certain size, you’re getting a lot less meat for the same amount of work.

Comment by Paul | December 17, 2006 | Reply
JOE – Crab alert ! Crab alert ! – don’t know if they have a Thriftway near Talent, but fresh dungeness are sale this week for $2.99 / Lb – that is the lowest they ever go.

Comment by Paul | December 26, 2006 | Reply
Paul thanks!

We don’t have Thriftway but Ray’s had 2.99 per pound fresh crab (Safeway that day was at 4.99!).

So our annual ‘feast’ last week with some friends didn’t break the bank. I bought 8 of them, about 1.5 pounds average, and we all had all we wanted with some leftovers I’m enjoying.

Crab is really is one of those unique, delicious tastes that you can’t describe easily. I also love Lobster but it’s a lot more expensive out here and for me they are about equal experiences.

Comment by joeduck | December 26, 2006 | Reply
So much for me saying Oregon Crab fishing is not dangerous:
http://www.currypilot.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=14137

Comment by joeduck | December 26, 2006 | Reply
I am looking for work on a crab boat. First time on a carb boat. I am a hard working 18 years old. Please if anyone has a opening on a boat email me please!

Comment by Tony Wild | November 28, 2008 | Reply
Joe,

We’re from Grants Pass, traveling through Crescent City on the 30th. Where’s the best place to buy some good size crab?

Thanks,

Kristi

Comment by Kristi | December 26, 2008 | Reply
- Hi Kristi – You might start down at the docks to see if there are fresh crabs, but frankly the best prices are often at Safeway or whatever chain has the best special going. We had crab a week ago at about $3 per pound cooked from Fred Meyer but they sold out very fast.
  
  Comment by JoeDuck | December 26, 2008 | Reply