Dungeness crab season officially opened Saturday, November 15. This year, San Franciscans and Dungeness crab fans nation-wide await what is promised to be one of the best crabbing seasons. San Francisco crab boat fleets are scheduled to return with their precious cargo as early as Monday, November 17. The tasty crustaceans will start appearing at local crab stands on Fisherman’s Wharf and at supermarkets and restaurants throughout Northern California within hours of their arrival.

Dungeness crabs are particularly prized for their sweet, firm, succulent meat. Served with a loaf of sourdough French bread and a bottle of Chardonnay wine, it has been called, ‘the quintessential San Franciscan meal" by the late legendary San Francisco Chronicle columnist, Herb Caen. Over the years, Fisherman’s Wharf and the Dungeness crab have become symbols of San Francisco. This Saturday marks the beginning of the City’s crab-feed frenzy as the beloved crustacean decks the tables of diners around the city, whether in cua cua- Vietnamese crab cakes, black bean garlic sauces of Chinatown, savory cioppinos in North Beach or simply dipped in melted butter with a glass of wine at one of the many restaurants in Fisherman’s Wharf.

There will be a host of activity throughout the coming weeks as different types of boats are launched from the City’s famous working wharf- Fisherman’s Wharf. Prayers of good weather, lots of crabs and the safety of the fisherman accompany the crab boats each year as they embark the journey that so many before had gone. In the tradition of their ancestors, crabbers equipped with 100-300 crab traps or pots will set out. Each 90-pound trap will be baited with squid and/or mackerel fish, dropped to the ocean floor and marked with buoys. Expect to see thousands of pounds of crabs to be unloaded beginning next week when fleets with the first catches of the season are scheduled to arrive at San Francisco’s Pier 45.

San Francisco’s love affair with the Dungeness crab stems from a long-standing tradition to serve holiday tables, which coincides with the legal opening of crabbing season. Many native San Franciscans have fond memories of visiting Fisherman’s Wharf in anticipation of taking home the first crabs to arrive onshore. The crabbing season begins officially in mid-November and will last until June 30, 2004. Meanwhile, crab lovers can look forward to plenty of crab to be featured around the City in events such as the annual San Francisco Crab Festival scheduled to take place during the month of February. Last year’s events drew thousands to feast upon San Francisco’s favorite crustacean.

The Port of San Francisco is the center of Northern California’s fishing industry and home to most of the Bay Area’s leading commercial seafood companies. The Fisherman Wharf Processing Center, located at Pier 45, supplies the highest quality seafood to local, regional and world markets and serves as a model for modern fish processing facilities throughout the United States.