Local Dungeness crab arrives at Cook’s Seafood in Menlo Park

Standing socially distanced in the market part of Cook’s Seafood, you might think there was a parrot in the room as the words out of every customer’s mouth was the same: “Crab, cracked, please.”

What made the day for this buyer was that long-time counter man (almost 50 years!), Dan Dowler was on hand to do the cracking after selecting “a nice big one.” While officially retired, Dan still works at Cook’s a day or two a week.

This is the one of the latest openings of the annual local crab season with fishing boats setting out just last Wednesday. The delay was caused first by endangered whales in fishing zones and then due to price negotiations.

There have been reports that the available Dungeness crab is low. And while we can’t speak for what’s being caught in crab pots, there was a good supply at Cook’s today, even mid-afternoon.

Photos by Linda Hubbard (c) 2021