Stratocumulus clouds hovered as far as the eye could see above dozens of crabbers scattered from Bodega Bay to the Farallon Islands and south past the Golden Gate on Sunday. After the longest-ever delay due to humpback whale protections, Dungeness crab season finally opened on Jan. 18 to the joy of fishermen from the Sonoma-Mendocino County line to Mexico. It was the fifth consecutive season that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife postponed the commercial crab opener due to whales along the coast. The season normally begins in mid-November but was on hold due to the presence of humpbacks. Crabbers are still restricted to using 50 percent of the usual gear allowance, but it was a bountiful opener for those who made it out to sea. Mickey Murch said it’s been one of the best openings in Bolinas in at least 10 years. Normally, when the season starts in November, crabs are less mature, with softer shells and less meat. “It’s a high-quality crab and there’s lots of meat,” Mr. Murch said. “When we pull up our traps, it looks like this giant feast of crab. You sort through it, and lo and behold, about 70 percent are large males. That first pull is always as good as you’re gonna get for the season, and this year it really was just beautiful.” But Todd Beeson and Robbie Knowles, Bolinas’s only other commercial crab fishermen, were less fortunate, both suffering damage to their vessels in separate events just before the season opened. By Wednesday, they were still unable to crab. Nick Krieger, a former Bolinas crabber who moved to Tam Valley 10 years ago, spoke with the Light by phone while he was crabbing by Palomarin Beach. He said the year started with a bang, bringing in twice as much as last year’s first trap pull, but has since tapered off, thanks to the abundance of ships off Marin’s coast. “Last year, it was nice. We had it to ourselves because crabbers were all heading to Eureka and Crescent City,” he said. “This year, all the big boats are here from Bodega, Half Moon Bay and San Francisco.” A Fish and Wildlife risk assessment conducted on Jan. 5 found only four humpback whales, primarily in waters off Point Reyes and Half Moon Bay. Next week, the department will conduct aerial views for the next risk assessment in mid-February that will decide if trap restrictions should be rescinded.