Is It Safe To Purchase Live Dungeness Crab Online?

During the holiday season, live Dungeness crab is a favorite meal all over the country. When Dungeness crab is mentioned, ears perk up, and heads turn to find out where they can get some to eat. There are a few trials to go through in the industry like any other. Those in the catching side to the retail side do very well financially during the season months from December through April. The retail side can be sold directly from those who catch and those who deal in the markets. One other way is through ordering live Dungeness crab online. Many ask if it is safe. We will cover the answers throughout this article.

Shipping and Safety

The objective is to ship the live Dungeness crab to keep it alive and fresh in the safest way possible. To keep it safe for those who handle the crabs and those receiving the crabs, we place a band around the pinchers to keep them from hurting those who handle them. It is expected the crabs to arrive alive, but there is no guarantee. It is a living creature and can die at any moment. Those who receive the live Dungeness crab should eat them within 12 to 24 hours of the arrival. Once the crabs are ordered online, the shipment is set up with the freshest catches and sent by the next delivery date. All of our logistic partners work together to keep the crabs alive while the shipment takes place. Everything remains at the proper temperatures and filtration to keep the crabs alive.

Retail and Wholesale

Like every seafood, live Dungeness crab is sold at the market price year-round. The times of the most demand for retail and wholesale is during the winter and spring months. For wholesale, live Dungeness crab is distributed to grocery stores, restaurants, other distributors and wholesalers, and importers. The Dungeness crab is caught along the west coast and is spread all over America and worldwide. It is a popular request, especially during the holiday months. The crabs freeze well, so they can be sold and eaten throughout the year. Some of the crabbers who love to catch out in the waters continue throughout the season and go all the way till the end around mid-August. There are several ways to purchase live Dungeness crabs. Since COVID-19 has been a thorn in our side, online ordering has been booming. It is possible to buy directly from the wholesale or retail markets in person. It would be wise to check with the owners before showing up.

A Little About the Industry

Live Dungeness crab is a $51 million industry. There is only one thing that is a growing concern with the industry. The number one preditors of the crabs are otters. Otters were almost extinct off the west coast in the 1930s but made an outstanding comeback. That is the only downside to the industry is the growing population of otters. For now, it is only a concern, but other than that, there is no downside to the crab fishery industry. The crabs’ population has also doubled over the last few decades, so it seems there is enough for everyone, even the otters.

Perfectly Safe 

The consumer who shops online has the option with the next day delivery to cook right away as soon as they receive their package. They can put the live Dungeness crab in the fridge for up to 24 hours, or they can freeze it for a later date. All of these options are perfectly safe.