Those Cheeky Bastards: Oregon Fisherman Crabbing Local Waters

Besides all the poor, oil-slicked migratory sea birds and angry Dungeness-craving tourists, there's another victim in the Cosco Busan oil spill: the sanity of local commercial fishermen, wholesalers and distributors.

Having agreed to put a hold on crab harvesting until results can prove the little buggers aren't oil-tainted (results due Nov. 28), local fishermen have been rudely awakened by fishing boats from Oregon, who, under cover of night, have been crabbing the shit out of waters just outside the Golden Gate, offloading some 100,000 pounds of Dungeness -- all of it headed for San Francisco. To their credit, however, most local seafood wholesalers seem to be sticking to their guns and refusing to buy the untested Dungeness, which can't be an easy decision, given the estimated $100 million in losses to the fisherman alone.

Dungeness crabs by st_catherine on Flickr

-- Brian Bernbaum