California crab fishermen ended their strike after reaching to negotiations with seafood merchants. The 2011-2012 commercial Dungeness crab fishing season began Monday, two weeks late, because California crab fishermen balked at seafood merchants’ demand that crab sell for only $2 a pound. Crabbers went on strike demanding $2.50 per pound; an increase of about 60 cents from the average price last season. Crab fishermen and merchants eventually negotiated a price of $2.25, which was enough to send some boats out.
Jacob Schomaker, 36, a crabber said that the start of season was quite because it started fourteen days late. He said fourteen days without crab. This is their livelihood, this is what they do for a living. Schomaker said that he did not consider himself a professional crabber, compared to other crabbers. Schomaker acknowledged that the two-week delay meant lost time and lost profit for commercial crabbers, but expressed optimism for the season to come.
According to him the late start of the season is surely a loss for the crabbers. But they still hope to get sufficient crabs. A large catch of Dungenous crab is expected statewide this season. Last year’s Dungenous crab catch in Central California was more than 19 million pounds; statewide more than 27 million pounds of crab were caught.
