(Photo credit by local photographer-artist Phil Wendt)

If you’re a fan of delicious Dungeness crab, you can begin casting your net after 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Nov.2.

The California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife expects the yield to be very good, and hopefully, as plentiful as last year. Expectations are running high for Bay area sport fishers.

The recreational fishing season for Dungeness crab is scheduled to last until June 30, 2020, south of the Mendocino-Sonoma county border and through July 30, 2020, north of the Mendocino-Sonoma county border.

California sport fishing regulations state that there is a daily limit of 10 Dungeness crabs. Each crab must measure at least 5 1/4inches across the shell.

Some anglers will head out on boats to catch their crab, and others will stand from piers and lower their crab pots filled with bait to lure the tasty crustaceans in.

The San Francisco Bay or San Pablo Bay are both off-limits for crab sport fishing at any time.

The California Department of Public Health issued a safety warning on Friday to crabbers about not eating the guts (viscera) of the crab due to elevated levels of domoic acid found in their internal organs. The department’s press release also recommended that consumers thoroughly rinse the crabs after cleaning them, and toss out any water or broth that was used to cook the whole crabs.

To play safe, the dept. advises boiling or steaming whole crabs instead of frying or broiling them.

Bay area restaurants and markets are anticipating the return of Dungeness crab to their eateries and grocery sections when the commercial crab season opens on Friday, Nov. 22.

If you fish from a municipal pier to catch your Dungeness crab, then you don’t need a license. Otherwise, a fishing license is required for crab fishing whether you’re in a kayak or on a party boat, for example. Both daily and annual licenses are available for sport fishing.

You can learn more at licensing at California Dept. Of Fish and Wildlife.

Dungeness crab, the six-legged crustacean, is considered the King of the West Coast and is found in the chilly waters of the Pacific Ocean. The crabs are often found at sandy or sand-mud bottoms in depths of less than 300 feet and have been popular for many decades now. The crabs have been commercially harvested since the 1880s and were actually named after the small fishing village of Dungeness in the state of Washington.

People fall in love with the flavor of Dungeness crab because the meaty crustacean does not have an ocean scent and gives off a sweeter, rich and buttery flavor than the king or snow crabs.

By the way, about one-quarter of a Dungeness crab’s weight is all meat. To prove how popular the crabs are, annual harvesting along the entire Pacific Coast can range anywhere from 35 to 55 million pounds.

If you want to try your luck at crab fishing Ocean View Properties has vacation rentals. Click Here to View Bookings. 

View Fishing Regulations & Fishing Season Here: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Fishing-Map/San-Francisco