Commercial crab season opens Saturday on Central Coast

It was a successful first outing for crab fisherman here in Monterey Bay. Saturday is the official start to crab season, and fisherman on the Central Coast couldn’t be happier.
“The crab are full of meat! They are averaging about 10 pounds a pot, which is pretty good for down here in Monterey. We’re pretty excited,” said crab fisherman Jerry Wetle.
And local restaurants are gearing up for the holiday crab season rush.
“I’ve gotten about 10 phone calls this morning, people asking do we have Dungeness crab,” said restaurant manager Ruben Herrera.
Herrera works at this local seafood house on Cannery Row in Monterey. Herrera said this is the time of year when the tourists start to fade, and locals come out to eat.
“Being in Monterey you can see the boats go out, we got to have the best here,” said Herrera.
On average, this time of year restaurant staff said they go through500 to700pounds of Dungeness crab a week. That’s good news for fisherman. As for the price – “It seems like it’s going to be between $3.00 and $3.50, which is a pretty good opening price,” said Wetle.
Commercial crab season runs through June.