Recreational crab season starts

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - The recreational crab season kicked off on Saturday and dozens of boats at Fisherman's Wharf setup their crab pots and dropped them down in hopes of pulling up as many as they can take home.

The excitement had been building for a while - given the rough season they had last year. An abundance of algae growth created high levels of acid found in the crabs making it unsafe to eat. 

This time around - health officials say the meat is safe - as long as people don't eat the guts.

Mike Pesce, fisherman, says of his plans with the crab, "Well we're opening a restaurant in San Francisco and we're almost finished so we're having a little crab feast tomorrow for everyone that's been helping working and getting it going so it's kind of like a little celebration."

Betty Lou Seafood and Grill in North Beach is the name of the restaurant set to open soon, once the get clearance from the health department this week.