Fishermen Sue Crabbing Associations

The operator and crew of a fishing boat have sued several Bay Area crabbing associations. They claim the groups intimidated and vandalized their property during a strike last year.

The suit was filed Thursday in federal court in San Francisco.

John Dooley, who runs the Caitlin Ann, and four crew members, say they were blacklisted. Hundreds of their crab pot lines were cut while many crab fishermen held out for a better price for crab.

In early December, Bay Area crabbers ended a three-week strike that had for the most part kept crab pots out of the water. Crab fishermen had initially wanted two-dollars-50-cents a pound, but eventually accepted a price of one-dollar-88- cents per pound.

The Caitlin Ann was one of the few Bay Area boats to go crabbing when the season opened in mid-November.