Crab in short supply headed into the New Year

LAFAYETTE, Calif. (KGO) -- Grocery stores are still having to tell customers that crab is tough to get as they plan their New Year's dinners.

Diablo Foods in Lafayette got its first shipment of the week Friday morning and expects to be sold out by the afternoon.

The season has been delayed again.

The season-opening for Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte counties is now set for January 15th.

That means the crab that is available is expensive. Diablo Foods is selling crab for $17.99 a pound.

Whole Foods has them for $8.99 a pound saying "you can thank Amazon for that".

One shopper at Diablo Foods said he was going to pay the $17.99 a pound because his wife sent him out for crab so that's what he was going to buy.