Bay Area commercial Dungeness crab season starts Sunday after delays

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Dungeness crab season in the Bay Area is back. It's getting off to a late start this year.

The opening is scheduled for Sunday, January 5. Crab season usually opens in mid-November.

Usually, the season opens in the middle of November but it was delayed by migrating whales.

Crab fisherman Mike Harvie is happy to be back at work.

"I'm excited to get going finally," said Harvie. "I've been crabbing for 15 years."

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Harvie is busy putting some of his crab pots away.

"We are allowed to use half our pots. These are the extras. I'm putting them away in the shed," said Harvie.

On Thursday, he and his crew loaded up his 58-foot boat -- Vaya Con Dios -- and headed out. They dropped 250 pots down on the ocean floor. They'll wait until Sunday to start harvesting.

John Barnett is the president of San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association.

He and his crew have already made two trips to put their gear out.

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"Everyone is excited. The fisherman are all gearing up. Putting bait on the boat," said Barnett.

The commercial Dungeness crab season usually starts in mid-November. But it has been delayed for the past few years.

"We had a delay this year because of all of the whales being present and all of the issues we've been having fishing around whales," said Barnett.

At Fisherman's Wharf, people are enjoying the fresh seafood including the crab that's from Oregon or Canada. In a few days, that crab will very likely be from the Bay Area.

"They'll start being out there on the 6th, I imagine - ready to roll," said Harvie.

"We really appreciate the public's patience," said Barnett. "Maybe by the evening of Sunday, we'll have crabs off the boat sales. We'll have crabs in the fish markets. The restaurants will be getting it. The public will have access to what they've been waiting for."

Fisherman Mike Harvie says the crab harvest is very promising.

"They're nice ones this year," said Harvie.