California Crab Fishermen Struggling, As Algae Blooms

Published February 10, 2016 at 12:33 PM EST

Chris Swim repairs crab traps in the parking lot of the Pillar Point Harbor on November 5, 2015 in Half Moon Bay, California, after the California Fish and Game Commission voted to suspend recreational Dungeness crab fishing for 180 days due to the a high level of the deadly neurotoxin domoic acid that has been found in the meat and viscera of Dungeness crabs caught off the coast of San Francisco. ( Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

In California, some crab fishermen are struggling to stay in business. Back in November, regulators indefinitely delayed the season for Dungeness crab for the first time ever, because of a huge algae bloom off the coast. Crabs can become contaminated by a type of acid from the algae bloom.

Joe Stoops, a crab fisherman from Santa Cruz, California, tells Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson that most of the market for Dungeness “is gone.”

Guest

Joe Stoops, crab fisherman from Santa Cruz, California.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.