Menlo Park Lost Its Fish Counter the Same Fall Local Crab Was Pushed to January

Steve Whitaker had worked at Cook's Seafood for 44 years. On the morning of Oct. 29 he planned to stop in on his day off to receive a shipment of salmon roe. At 7 a.m. a former manager of the Pleasanton store called to tell him Cook's was closed, as Palo Alto Online reported. At about 3 a.m., staff had received a group text from owner Roy Crumrine Jr. It said both the Menlo Park and Pleasanton locations had closed after business on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and that the building would be closed in the morning.

Salmon roe is a holiday item, and that timing is the story for anyone planning a seafood dinner this year. The fish counter at 751 El Camino Real closed as the busy season was starting. Two days later, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife delayed the commercial Dungeness crab season along the whole Northern and Central California coast. Menlo Park's usual holiday seafood plans relied on both, and both are missing at once this year. The fresh local fish that's left is sold on a weekly schedule: a farmers' market stall on Sunday, a boat at the dock on a weekend.

Ninety-eight years, ending at the start of the busy season

Cook's was older than most of the buildings around it. Palo Alto Online's account traces the business back to 1928, when Bill Cook, a policeman turned entrepreneur, founded it. Robert Rahe bought it in the 1940s. Roy Crumrine started there as a 15-year-old dishwasher in 1955 and bought the business at 23. About 45 employees across the two locations lost their jobs.

Dan Dowler had been with Cook's for 55 years. He described the calendar the store was heading into:

"We're starting to go into our busy season, especially during the holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc."

Whitaker and Dowler both told the outlet that business had been consistently good. The facts about the property are clear. The Rahe family still owns the land. Dowler said the leases run until 2028, with eligibility for two five-year extensions. His son, Chris Dowler, told the outlet he would like to find a way to take over Cook's and keep it going, calling it "iconic" and "historic." Through Thanksgiving week and December, though, the counter on El Camino is dark.

The crab was never going to arrive by Christmas

A store closing during the busy season is hard enough. The crab delay is what turns it into a supply problem. In a news release dated Oct. 30, 2026, CDFW delayed the commercial Dungeness crab fishery from the California/Oregon border to Point Conception until at least Jan. 1, 2027. That range includes the boats working out of San Francisco and Half Moon Bay.

The reason is whales. CDFW cited the number of confirmed humpback whale entanglements during the 2026 calendar year and said current regulations require the director to act to reduce further entanglements for the rest of the year. The agency added that the delay gives whales time to migrate out of California waters before the commercial fishery opens. A separate domoic acid closure covers only part of the recreational fishery, in southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties, far north of the waters local boats fish.

So whatever store you shop at, fresh Dungeness from local commercial boats will not be available for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26 or for Christmas Eve. CDFW expects its next risk assessment in mid-December to decide whether the commercial fishery can open, and whether the recreational trap restriction can be lifted, around the new year. The agency's Whale Safe Fisheries page is where that decision will be posted.

Recreational crabbing is partly open. The season opened Nov. 7 under a trap restriction. Crab traps are prohibited from the Oregon border to Point Conception until at least Jan. 1, 2027, but hoop nets and crab snares, also called loop traps, are still allowed. CDFW says hoop nets must be serviced every two hours. Anyone thinking of pulling their own crab off the coast should read the full CDFW release first.

Where the fresh fish is this season

Without Cook's, buying fresh fish around Menlo Park falls into two types of trips. Grocery counters are open every day. Fishermen's stalls are open on particular days, so a stop there has to be planned around a weekend.

The closest stop for most of Menlo Park is Draeger's on University Drive, a block off Santa Cruz Avenue. It's also the one store on this list inside city limits. Calling the counter before a holiday trip is a good way to check what's in the case that week. Mollie Stone's is a short drive south on California Avenue in Palo Alto, or north to West 42nd Avenue in San Mateo. Its seafood department describes hand-cut fish and fishmongers who can recommend selections.

The stalls are where you can buy straight from the people who catch the fish. H&H Fresh Fish sets up every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the California Ave Farmers' Market, which the Urban Village Farmers' Market Association runs at 400 California Ave. The Downtown Palo Alto Farmers' Market's 2026 vendor list includes Pietro Parravano selling fresh, sustainable seafood from the F/V Anne B. The list names petrale sole, halibut, red snapper, sablefish, scallops, crab and salmon. With commercial Dungeness gear out of the water until at least Jan. 1, the finfish on that list will matter most for a December table.

The harbor runs on a phone line

Pillar Point Harbor is the farthest stop and the closest to the source. The San Mateo County Harbor District lists dockside fish sales and the fish market among the harbor's open activities at One Johnson Pier. Its "Looking for Fish?" page says local fishermen sell fresh fish directly at the harbor and gives a Fish Line for availability updates, 726-8724. A call tells you what came in before you drive over the hill, which matters most in a year when the crab boats are tied up.

November and December, by date

With no full-service fish market in town, the holiday seafood calendar now sits alongside Menlo Park's other seasonal dates:

1. Sundays before Thanksgiving: H&H Fresh Fish at the California Ave Farmers' Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
2. Thursday, Nov. 26: Thanksgiving, with commercial Dungeness from local boats still off the menu.
3. Friday, Dec. 4, 5:30 to 7 p.m.: The City's Light Up the Season at Fremont Park, University Drive at Santa Cruz Avenue, with free entertainment, youth performances, cocoa and the oak tree lighting. Draeger's is a block away.
4. Sunday, Dec. 13, 2 to 5 p.m.: Kepler's Annual Holiday Party at 1010 El Camino Real #100, with holiday shopping, gift wrapping, drinks and sweets.
5. Mid-December: CDFW's next risk assessment, which will decide whether the commercial crab season and recreational traps open around the new year.

Kepler's sits about half a mile up El Camino from where Cook's stood. One of the regulars who spoke to Palo Alto Online, Buz Walters, mentioned the bookstore by name. He noted that Kepler's Books and The Guild Theatre were both saved through community support. For now, the Rahe family still owns the land under Cook's, the lease runs to 2028, and Chris Dowler has said he would like to keep Cook's going.

Nisha Sharma follows changes like this one along El Camino and Santa Cruz Avenue because they shape everyday life for the Menlo Park families she works with. If you'd like a local perspective on your own home this season, you can request a private consultation and home valuation anytime.