The commercial Dungeness crab season in Central California opened Nov. 14 and started off great, until the weather took a turn and kept boats in port. The market is hungry for crabs, and consumers are paying top dollar to start the season.
Commercial fishing boats steamed back to port with full loads after the first haul of crabs. The market had a strong appetite for crabs, with a negotiated price to start at $3 per pound from wholesalers. The price may triple by the time crabs make it to market. Consumers may pay up to $10 a crab off the dock.
The price was so strong from wholesale markets, many commercial boats simply unloaded to the local buyers and wanted to steam back out for more.
Mother Nature had different plans, however. The first winter storms hit the coast shortly after the season started, and many boats ended up tied to the docks.
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Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
Over 500 lots of seafood processing equipment formerly owned by Adak Seafood will be sold at auction on Tuesday, June 18, starting at 10 a.m. Hawaiian-Aleutian Daylight Time at the Hilton Garden Inn in Anchorage Alaska.
The equipment is located in a recently updated 250,000 square foot state-of-the-art processing facility in Adak, Alaska. Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Hilco Industrial, which conducts 75 machinery and equipment auctions in a wide range of industries annually, will conduct the auction.
Adak Seafood opened originally as Ada Fisheries in Anchorage in 1986. The facility, updated in 2005, is located on the island of Adak, the southernmost city in Alaska near the western end of the Aleutian Islands. The facility processed cod primarily, as well as halibut, blackcod, crab and pollock, Hilco says.
Alaska fisherman and commercial fisheries activist Kevin Adams was elected chairman at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors meeting on May 9 in Anchorage.
The governor-appointed board consists of seven members: five seafood processors and two industry representatives actively engaged in commercial fishing. Adams was appointed to fill a harvester seat by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2004.
With 38 years of fishing experience in Bristol Bay, Adams has long been an active member in the Alaska fishing industry, ASMI says. He has worked for both the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation and the Bering Sea Fisherman's Association, and represents Alaska fishermen on numerous boards.
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