Diver Duck

Larry Collins (aka “Diver Duck”)

Larry Collins, known by most as Diver Duck, is the captain of fishing vessel Autumn Gale from the port of San Francisco. Duck has been fishing for roughly 20 years. He is the president of the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association, and is actively involved in commercial fishing organizations including positions as vice president of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen Associations, and of the Institute for Fisheries Resources. He is a member and former chairman of the California Salmon Council.

Larry has been working tirelessly for many years to improve fishing conditions for his fellow fishermen as well as working to conserve the resource. Most recently, he was instrumental in mobilizing his fellow fishermen in response to the Cosco Busan oil spill that occurred in San Francisco Bay in November 2007. Although he has had to spend more and more time in meetings these days, you can often find him and his wife and partner, Barbara Emley, motoring out under the Golden Gate Bridge to collect his traps.

Larry fishes in the winter for dungeness crab (Cancer magister), a West Coast delicacy. Most crab is caught in crab pots, which are circular contraptions circled in netting or mesh over an iron frame which has one or two “tunnels” (funnel-shaped openings) for the entry of crabs. A trigger device prevents the crabs from escaping back through the tunnels, though state regulations require an escape hatch bound with a biodegradable cord which will rot away and allow the crab to escape if the pot is lost. The pots are set in water depths of 20-150 feet and marked by a line buoy, often a plastic jug or Styrofoam block, which must be identified with the crabber’s name and address.

The dungeness crab is a species of crab that inhabits eelgrass beds and water bottoms from Alaska down the coast to Santa Cruz, California. Dungeness crabs are scavengers.

Dungeness crabs can typically be purchased either live or pre-cooked. Live crabs are typically cooked by boiling for approximately 10 minutes in water.

Like all crabs, the dungeness crab is high in protein and minerals and low in fat. About one quarter of this crab’s weight is meat, making it one of the meatiest crabs available. For more information on dungeness crab, go to https://www.dungeness.com/crab/.

Diver Duck’s favorite crab recipe: Duck’s Crab in a Nest

Ingredients:

  • 1 package puff pastry
  • 1 cooked dungeness crab–picked
  • 4 ears sweet corn
  • 3 tbl. butter
  • 1 medium chanterelle mushroom
  • 1 bunch parsley

Steps:

  1. Bake puff pastry in a nest shape according to package.
  2. Melt butter in a pan. Add corn sliced off cobs. When corn is almost cooked, add crabmeat to heat through. Season to taste.
  3. Sauté sliced chanterelle mushrooms. Add chopped parsley.
  4. Fill the pastry nests with crab and corn mixture. Top with mushrooms and parsley.

Meet more fishermen in the Featured Fishermen Archives.