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Early Indications Point To Weak Calif. Crab Season

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Nov 13, 2008 10:15 am US/Pacific

Early Indications Point To Weak Calif. Crab Season

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / KCBS) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: Fishermen are not optimistic about this year's Dungeness catch.
AP

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Sport fishermen out in the Bay for two weeks are coming home with empty traps, an ominous sign for commercial fisherman struggling with a season last year shortened because of the Cosco Busan oil spill and the suspension of salmon fishing.

The commercial season begins Saturday, and the fisherman stacking their pots at Fisherman's Wharf were not expecting a reversal of their fortunes.

"We want good weather that we could go out fishing safely and a pretty good amount of crabs in our traps, and it doesn't sound like there's going to be," said Rich Fitzpatrick.

Crab season is essential to the livelihood of smaller fisherman. Without the crab year, Fitzpatrick said, "we just can't do it. The loss is too much."

Salmon season usually begins in May, and the Dungeness population may have been depleted by fisherman kept fishing for crab all the way up until the middle of June.