Break out the butter and crab forks – it's that time of year.
The commercial Dungeness crab harvest begins Monday along the Central California coast, and early indicators point to a healthy catch.
After a cyclical downturn between 2006 and 2009, populations of the tasty crustacean appear to be rebounding, giving hope to fishermen battered by recent cancellations and cutbacks of the salmon fishing season.
"It looks like we're on the upward leg of the trend cycle," said Pete Kalvass, senior marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game.
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