PRINCETON-BY-THE-SEA >> Bay Area fishermen are worried that the Dungeness crab season could be delayed by high levels of a naturally occurring toxin that’s harmful to humans.
State officials are testing the crab to determine the levels of domoic acid in the crab. The acid is found in algae that is eaten by other organisms and then consumed by the bottom-feeding crustaceans.
Don Marshall, a fishermen out of Pillar Point Harbor in San Mateo County, said the Northern California fleet is worried that the commercial season, slated to open Nov. 15 in time for Thanksgiving, could be delayed for weeks and even months.
In severe cases, domoic acid poisoning can be fatal.
“If we lose the Thanksgiving market and the holiday market, that’s a crusher for us,” said Marshall, who is president of California’s Small Boat Trollers Association.
Marshall said he expects the algae bloom, associated with warm ocean temperatures, will eventually dissipate when the winter brings colder currents down from the north.
The toxic algae is causing problems farther north on the Pacific coast. The state of Washington shut down the final months of the Dungeness crab fishery this summer along much of its coast.
“This whole thing was unprecedented,” said Dan Ayres, spokesman for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “We’ve never had a closure with Dungeness crab of this magnitude.”
Washington officials also shut down the razor clam fishery this summer, causing a roughly $20 million hit to coastal communities that rely on recreational clamming as a draw for tourists.
