As is seemingly never not the case these days, the start of our local commercial Dungeness crab season was again delayed this year. First, it was poor meat quality that prompted the CDFW to push back opening day to Jan. 5. Then, there was another setback: a fishermen’s strike caused by stalled negotiations on this year’s market price for the tasty crustaceans. Crabbing is complicated, people! 

But that’s all behind us now. On Monday morning Humboldt’s commercial crabbers set out, bright and early, to get their pots in the water. The crab is coming, friends. 

Local photographer and LoCO pal Matt Filar dragged it out of bed at the crack of Monday’s dawn to document and honor the hard work of our hometown heroic fishermen. We present some of his shots below.