After a two-week delay, and one SFist editor's tummy barren of his preferred crustacea, dungeness crab season finally started today. According to The Chronicle, "The commercial crab season officially began moments after central California crab fishermen and seafood processors agreed this morning to a price of $2.25 per pound for the spindly crustaceans."

If you recall, a dispute over pricing between the Crab Boat Owners Association and the local seafood processors resulted in two weeks of a crab-free-stricken Bay Area. And we as a slow food society lacked real, artisan crabmeat. Women curled in the fetal position on city sidewalks, grown men committing hari-kari, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria — it sucked. And although fishermen had hoped to cull $2.50 per pound for the crustaceans, they agreed to a scant (?) 25-cent dent.

In 2010, fishermen pulled in 19 million pounds of Dungeness, with this year promising an even bigger catch. Crab meat should arrive in markets on Wednesday or Thursday. Butter up, buttercups.

Update: SFist commenter Travin asked: "Do you, or perhaps someone else, know what is the location on the docks where we can buy it fresh off the boat?"