Seafood Shortages

L.A. Struggles to Survive Dungeness Crab Shortage

Dungeness Crab
Dungeness Crab Photo: GoodiesFirst/Flickr

Russ Parsons sounds the alarm that L.A. is in the throes of a Dungeness crab shortage this week, due to bad weather that tethered fishing boats to the docks and an unexpectedly light supply. As The L.A. Times reports, our state’s Department of Fish and Game delayed the start of the season in Northern California from the start of December to January 15, due to the abundance of underweight male crabs that fail to reach the requirements for sustainability. This raises the demand for San Francisco Bay and Central California’s own catches, which are typically more threadbare than those of their neighbors to the chillier north. In the paper’s fruitless search for the crustacean’s sweet flesh at five stores, only a pre-cooked, frozen sample could be found, putting a further dent in our plans for foie gras and Dungeness terrine come New Year’s.

Feeling crabby: No Dungeness for the holiday [LAT]

L.A. Struggles to Survive Dungeness Crab Shortage