Crab season is delayed this year

San Mateo County Times/Aaron Kinney, 11/5/15.  "Closed! Recreational Dungeness crab season postponed by state authorities."

Happy Holidays, eat tuna.

 "SACRAMENTO ...  The State Fish and Game Commission took the unprecedented step of delaying the recreational crab fishing season for up to six months because of a public health threat.  ....  The State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment recommended the closures after tests by the Department of Public Health revealed high levels of domoic acid in the meat and viscera, or "butter," of crabs up and down the coast. The acid is a potent neurotoxin caused by harmful algae blooms that have proliferated this year in the unusually warm waters off the Pacific coast.  ....  The Fish and Game Commission also voted Thursday to close the recreational rock crab fishery, which is open year-round. The closures are in effect from the Oregon border to the southern boundary of Santa Barbara County, where most of the state's crab fishing occurs.

Charlton Bonham, director of Fish and Wildlife, will decide whether to postpone the commercial Dungeness and rock crab seasons. The commercial Dungeness crab season is slated to open Nov. 15, while the recreational season was supposed to begin Saturday."  Read article. 

Related article, San Mateo County Times/Aaron Kinney, 10/4/15, San Mateo County Times/Aaron Kinney, 10/4/15.  "Biotoxin found in Dungeness crab, fishing season imperiled." "The recommendation came hours after the California Department of Public Health issued an advisory warning consumers not to eat Dungeness or rock crab caught in California. Tests have revealed dangerously high levels of domoic acid, a compound produced by harmful algae blooms that have proliferated this year in the Pacific Ocean, a phenomenon state officials attributed in part to warm ocean temperatures linked to El Niño. 'It's really a public health issue and that's got to be our priority right now,' said Jordan Traverso (spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife). 'We don't want anybody eating crab with domoic acid in it that can potentially kill someone.' Mild domoic acid poisoning may include vomiting and diarrhea. Severe cases can lead to permanent memory loss or death." 

Note: photograph from  Cooking in Tongues, savoring the world through food, trails and photos. "Cellophane noodles with crab and black pepper," by Andrea Nguyen. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh