Pacifica's First Crab Season Without the Pier Opens to the Sound of Pile Drivers
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
A crane now stands where Beach Boulevard meets Santa Rosa Avenue. Power Engineering Construction Co. spent the weekend of Oct. 24 assembling it, and the city warned of construction noise, temporary parking restrictions and traffic impacts on Beach Boulevard, Santa Rosa Avenue and Montecito Avenue. Pile driving was estimated to start Oct. 26, with noise and vibration expected as part of the job.
The recreational Dungeness crab season is scheduled to reopen on Saturday, Nov. 7, according to CDFW's San Francisco region rules. For decades, opening weekend in Pacifica meant the Municipal Pier. This year the pier has been closed since June 4, and the work underway won't reopen it. The pier's free, license-free crabbing hasn't moved to any one new spot. It has split across three places nearby, and each one is missing something the pier had.
The city's own description of the pier explains why its loss is hard to replace. Admission was free, no fishing license was required, and it was open daily from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Palo Alto Online reported in June that, according to the city, it was the only pier in the Bay Area where fishing and crabbing were both free. It drew people looking for Dungeness crab in winter and salmon and striped bass in summer.
The pier is 1,140 feet long and officially named the Rev. Herschell Harkins Memorial Pier. It was built in 1973 to support a former sewer line. The same Palo Alto Online story described the pier as a place for whale watching that people with disabilities could reach, and for anyone who couldn't afford a boat trip, according to Robin Brun, founder of the Pacifica Whalespotting Facebook group.
Coffee came with it. Chit Chat Cafe sat at the pier entrance and sold food, coffee and fishing supplies. After the city red-tagged it, the building was torn down on June 9. The cafe's other location, at 5 W. Manor Drive, is still open. That is now where the pier's coffee runs a short drive inland.
The city's Oct. 20 press release calls the job temporary emergency measures to stabilize the pier, protect public safety, and safeguard Beach Boulevard and nearby public infrastructure "while the City evaluates longer-term repair options." Coastside News reported that the goal is to preserve the first span of the structure, where the abutment and first deck remained unstable. The work also covers Beach Boulevard, pedestrian walkways, utilities and sewer lines.
The timing was set by the weather. City Manager Sean Charpentier told the council in August, as Coastside News reported:
"The risk of doing nothing is great given the need to stabilize it and now is the time to do construction before winter storms occur."
The sequence on Beach Boulevard so far, from the city's pier updates page:
The city expects stabilization to take about 120 calendar days. Counted from the Oct. 20 release, that runs into mid-February 2027 if the estimate holds. Nothing in the city's materials sets a reopening date, so plan this crab season as if the pier won't be part of it.
Visit Pacifica's fishing guide now opens with a note on the pier closure and lists shoreline alternatives. Each nearby option keeps some of what the pier offered and gives up something else.
| Spot | What it keeps | What it gives up |
|---|---|---|
| Sharp Park Beach | Same stretch of coast as the pier; Visit Pacifica says it remains open for shoreline fishing | Deep water past the surf; you fish from the beach |
| Pillar Point Harbor fishing pier | A public pier with no license required; ocean-side water where the Nov. 7 opener applies | The Sharp Park location; it's a drive down the coast |
| Oyster Point fishing pier | A public pier with no license required, open daily 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. | Dungeness; it sits inside San Francisco Bay, where Dungeness can't be taken |
Sharp Park Beach is the closest substitute, and some anglers moved there right after the closure. In June, the San Francisco Chronicle reported both that shift and the surf and sneaker-wave risk that comes with fishing from the beach. The same Chronicle story reported that the city had fenced off the pier and nearby areas. The city's closure order also covers the "Adjacent Beach Area," so check posted signage near the construction zone before you set up.
Pillar Point Harbor is the closest match to what the pier offered. The San Mateo County Harbor District lists its fishing pier as open. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife's public pier list includes it as a public pier where no fishing license is required, though all seasons and other fishing rules still apply. State testing also looks good. In the California Department of Public Health's crab test results covering Sept. 28 to Oct. 23, 2026, none of the Dungeness samples collected at Pillar Point on Oct. 9 exceeded the domoic acid action level. CDFW's health advisories page currently reports no recreational Dungeness closures due to marine toxins.
Oyster Point in South San Francisco suits a weeknight trip but not a Dungeness outing. The Harbor District lists all activities there as open. CDFW's San Francisco Bay rules say Dungeness crab may not be taken from San Francisco Bay or possessed if taken there. Rock crab is open year-round statewide, with a daily bag limit of 35 and a 4-inch minimum size. That's the catch Oyster Point actually offers.
One more piece of this season hadn't been settled as of Oct. 26. CDFW's Whale Safe Fisheries program reviews whale and sea turtle entanglement risk before and during the Dungeness season. Its Whale Safe Fisheries page posted a preliminary assessment on Oct. 23, scheduled a working group meeting for Oct. 27, and said the director would assess risk on or around Oct. 30.
Last season shows why that decision matters for pier and shore crabbers. In May 2026, CDFW banned recreational crab traps in Fishing Zone 3, which runs from the Sonoma/Mendocino line to Pigeon Point and includes the Pacifica coast. Hoop nets and snares were still allowed. That ban applied only for the rest of the 2025–26 season. Whether traps are allowed when the season opens Nov. 7 depends on the director's late-October assessment, so check CDFW's page for the result before loading gear. The state's regional rules page also suggests signing up for notices of gear restriction changes before the opener.
This post is general information, not legal advice. Fishing rules can change on short notice, so confirm current regulations directly with CDFW before you go.
The long-term question is still open. In late June, the city estimated the emergency work at roughly $64 million and expected the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the city's insurer to pay for it. As of the August council action, the state hadn't approved the city's emergency funding request, and staff said funding eligibility wasn't guaranteed. The staff report said the final cost would depend on technical investigations, field conditions and the scope of stabilization.
Public comment has gone in more than one direction. Coastside News reported that one resident urged the council to consider an artificial offshore reef, an idea that came up before the collapse as a way to protect the Beach Boulevard shoreline. The same story reported that many of the roughly 2,400 members of the Save Pacifica Pier Facebook group want the pier rebuilt. The city posts updates on its pier page and offers email sign-ups there.
Until the city decides, Pacifica's crab season runs through Sharp Park Beach, Pillar Point and the coffee counter on Manor Drive. The crane on Beach Boulevard is working on the road.
If you live near Beach Boulevard and want to talk about how a long construction season fits with your own plans, Michael Soon knows this stretch of coast and can help in English, Mandarin or Cantonese. Schedule a free neighborhood consultation.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
Understanding his client's goals has helped Michael negotiate successful outcomes buyers and sellers on all types of properties throughout the San Francisco region. Real estate, whether buying or selling, can be quite a journey, and Michael will be there every step of the way.