Invasive Green Crab Dive +WILD OYSTERS & Mussels!

[@zeldanrj3]

I love every episode. I always learn so much from you. If I only lived closer, I'd take the class. I'd have to fly out, so I could be home same day.. I'm loving this series, please keep it going. Hey Diane 👋🏼

[@chillymonroy4741]

Men I don’t know why your videos don’t have millions of views. They are so professional and interesting

[@colemant6845]

Dang... You made me SO hungry watching. Invasive Green Crab are such a problem here on the East Coast. Well Done!

[@mingrui1862]

Slurping that oyster, I felt that! Slightly briney seawater, clean and fresh. I love oysters! Mussels? Can't beat in a simple garlicky, buttery linguine.👍 thank you for these wonderful videos sir!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks for the support! It is always nice to hear positive feedback!

[@desertfairychickres4021]

Dang it Kevin. Am starving now at 11:30. Just before bed. Never again. Lol Many Blessings from the desert southwest.☀️🌵🦂😳 Nightie night 🦪🦪🦪🦀🧄🧅🌿

[@betzaidavazquez5579]

I Learn so much and I Love your channel so much ! Thanks for always teaching us and including us in all your fun . 💕🐾✌

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks for the positive feedback!

[@youtubeuser3182]

love you Kevin. Very happy to have found this channel and this playlist. Can't wait to start watching your mushroom foraging videos. I'm in socal!

[@stanf9898]

Let's go!! Dr. Kev for the Win!

[@ktc5151]

Really good video. Its focused on feeediving and foraging with important knowledge and also fun

[@dcro9903]

Love these spearfishing videos. They are well thought out

[@WolfennFaLL]

Here green crab is native and sometimes we use them to give flavor to a seafood rice or boiled if they are big. Thanks for the vid man!

[@GardenForaged]

I'm loving the series my dude. Keep the videos coming!

[@MrSoarman]

Awesome, my childhood was with my parents foraging mussels from rocks at wave crash zone, mussels would be up to 6 inches , so many after we ate mom would pickle them in vinegar and spices, just yummy. Love your videos. Brings back memories

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Sounds like a great childhood!

[@zaki_1337]

It’s nice to see you uploading more 😄👍🏻

[@Lachlan415]

Me and my girlfriend have been thinking about freediving for a bit now and these videos gave us the confidence and knowledge to finally pull the trigger. Thanks for putting out this series Kevin! I first discovered you from one of Matts videos and loved how much knowledge and info you have on all things outdoors. Cheers from SF !

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

That is great to hear! Have fun out there and be safe! And thanks for watching.

[@boogieheads]

1:20 thanks for using the correct terminology

[@deant1499]

Great content. Thanks much!

[@maggiemax8065]

Wish I lived on your coast. I would love to go out with you!! Love your videos. Please keep them coming!!

[@chinoyhealingfoodstravels8888]

Greetings from Redondo Beach 🇺🇸🇺🇸I live by the King Harbor and I agree with what you’ve just mentioned. Beautiful and abundant oysters by the harbor and such a shame because these are not edible at all considering how much these oysters cost at the Quality Seafood by the Boardwalk- depending on the type of oyster can cost around $3.99 to $6 a piece. Wonderful video and invaluable information as always.👍🏽👍🏽

[@trqrider94]

You’re awesome. Local bay area person here I hope to go diving with you someday.

[@kimprocarione5473]

Yeah! Green crab are yummy!

[@valentindelacruz7900]

Awesome video

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thank you!

[@heruhcanedean]

Those oysters look small but I bet they are full of flavor. Another great video Dr. Kev

[@kito1san]

It's as good as you get from the market for sure.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

They are awesome! I left it out of the vid but I found some more rocks with much larger ones at the end of my dive. I left those for future clients though.

[@ashlandwest1647]

Another great video! I got some kayaks recently for doing this exact thing. There's an island I've had my eye on for a while now in a north-bay bay. I'm thinking of waiting till boat fishing opens, then going out with a friend to dive and fish all day and camp out on the island overnight.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Right on Ash! Make sure the island is open for camping though. Some islands have pretty strict rules around here. I am sure you will have a great time!

[@OutdoorsWalking]

Let’s go hit the water sometime!

[@obizz6843]

Clammed with you a little over a month ago at the “Bellagio”…I’m all for the paddle in class! Lezgo!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Right on! I remember! That was a great day! Send me an email and let's go!

[@markluke8447]

Great info, nicely done. Thanks for sharing.

[@derekmcmaster6123]

Love the channel....2 ideas......when steaming the mussels.....try using Bold Ginger Ale instead of white wine....and.....With the smaller green crabs....get a bunch, crush them, boil them, strain the broth, and use the broth for rice, or as a base for a good seafood bisque

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Good ideas!

[@lawngevity3295]

Try using apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and garlic powder as a dipping sauce for your crab. 😋

[@paytongoff1429]

loving this series so much, I'm in the north san diego area and your tips are really helpful since I just started spearfishing

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Glad to hear it!!

[@DougHackedByTheRoad]

Always wanted to do this sooo dopeeeee , great videos

[@WaganTech]

Good stuff as usual!

[@shinuizabusa2180]

Delicious! Bless you buddy.

[@gregdrozdowski7845]

Thank You for a great video!

[@seanstenberg1559]

Dr. Kevin, Another fine episode again! And they only keep getting better. Fantastic camera too! I made sure to watch all advertisements, as I heard on another off topic channel, it’s good for the channel you enjoy. Thanks for yours!

[@seanstenberg1559]

P.S. Those adds seemed to be worthy products for outdoor enthusiasts.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks Sean! Much appreciated!

[@bretthumphries7911]

Nice work, looks delicious.

[@chaddydaddyproductions5873]

Great information and always entertaining videos! You’re the man keep it up🤙

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks!

[@boxscorewatcher413]

Have you considered selling your daily catch to restaurants? Supply a restaurant a few times a week and rake in the money. You gotta slang your warez for phat lootz.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

I would need a commercial license to legally sell my catch. As of now I have a guide license but not a commercial license. Honestly, I prefer to earn a living teaching others to sustainably harvest. To me it is a more rewarding way to make a living. That being said, when I cook I do like to remind folks that they will never get seafood this fresh and local and sustainably-harvested at any Michelin start restaurant!

[@dabz523]

Good eats man ✅👍

[@BDCF100]

That bay looks like the notorious White shark hatchery. Great fishing for large Skate which will pull a small boat for a bit of a ride.

[@kito1san]

It used to be white shark habitat, but then mother nature said no.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

There are great white "tax men" in our waters up and down the coast. But yes, out in the deeper waters towards the mouth of this bay (far from the shallows where I was) they definitely have a presence. Lol I don't dive in that area and would never take someone there.

[@nikolaibozhenov1094]

​@@catchncookcalifornia1574, thank you so much for your videos! I consider going for a dive to that bay with my kids soon, but I'm not sure where the safe zone starts. How deep in your opinion do the sharks go into the bay?

[@keenanekegren9774]

hey boss love your videos im also a sea urchin diver i dont waste my time with the purples because we have a lot of bull kelp plus we have 3 kinds greens reds and purples

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks for watching! Where do you live that has plenty of bull kelp? I've seen good populations of it recently on the Central Coast but certainly not on the North Coast after 95% of it died off in the last 10 years. How often do you see green sea urchins?

[@robertgiannini4349]

Definitely going to book a guide trip 🙌

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Looking forward to it!

[@sawlgood]

I’d love to do a guided paddle in spear fishing trip with you

[@JackJoeng]

Love your video

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks!

[@kito1san]

Thanks for the video. I think I been there before.

[@divinebluesky]

So well done and informative!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thank you!

[@seanbreed8248]

Awesome episode! Best teacher out there!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks Sean!

[@JTSkiffer]

Thanks for your information

[@nbfishing6533]

You’re so cool man wish i could go fishing with you.

[@benjovi7007]

awesome vid

[@UncleT0ny]

Hope you get a sponsorship soon.. preferably by a dive shop that can hook you up with new gloves LOL

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Lol good idea!

[@anthonymirkovich5156]

The green crab I heard are good .. the east coast is trying a get a fishery going for them

[@anthonymirkovich5156]

A commercial one

[@anthonymirkovich5156]

Yes

[@richardso3226]

Amazing!

[@willisgemutlich2608]

you need more subscribers. i can only click like once

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks!

[@rudysison9010]

Oysters Shooters...a shot of Tapatio and squeeze of lime! FOSHO

[@rbo350]

CC have you been to a fish farm or crustaion farm...love the channel...and message

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Not yet (other than fish hatcheries) but have not on the channel

[@julialichtblau7796]

Great video! I loved your dog featured in the beginning :) Very cool to see the native oysters, they are now on my list to try! Are the oysters only present in the bay, as opposed to the coast?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks! Yes. I have only seen them in bays up here.

[@bbk2325]

What was that at 8:02/8:03 🦀? Love your videos!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Mussels? Rocks? Not sure.

[@k4x4map46]

nice!!

[@chimpz4ever]

If I ever go out to California, I'm booking a trip! Side question: do you have any colleagues around the NY area that do the same sort of stuff?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Great! I do not unfortunately. But Green Dean has a great youtube channel from back east about plants and if you want some good reads "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" by Yule Gibbons (and anything else he has written) are great resources for the East Coast area.

[@BDCF100]

Knee benders quickly learn not to when snorkling over a coral reef. 6 to 8" urchin spines will instruct.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Ow! Yeah, that was a good teacher for me when I started!

[@KI-dc9ok]

Nice video Mr. Professor! For purging the mussels and oysters do you need sea water and do you need to add an O2 bubbler?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

I fill the bucket with sea water before I leave the beach so that the shellfish are transported in the same water they were living in. I definitely prefer sea water as it will keep them alive and fresher longer. I do not usually use a bubbler for bivalves but for crab, everyone swears by the bubbler method. Maybe I should discuss this more in my next video!

[@haroldtakahashi8875]

💛...

[@Noname-ll6ne]

Is there any size limit for green crab?

[@erichumphrey4094]

How would you compare the green crab with say a Maryland blue crab?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Eric, I have never tried blue crab so I honestly do not know. I guess I need to try it!

[@broomstickcowgirl]

Question: How do you know if an oyster is dead when you eat it raw? I know when you steam something and it doesn't open, it's not good to eat. How do you tell it's not good to eat when it's raw?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Great question Kelly! The answer is complicated. If you were to pick a mussel, clam or oyster and leave it in the sun to die like the gulls do, what happens? They open up! So in reality when bivalve shellfish die they usually open (quite the contrary to what we are all told about the ones that don't open being dead. For the most part when cooking mussels, clams or oysters, the ones that do not open are actually perfectly safe but require a bit more time. If you cook them a little longer than the rest, 90% of the time they will open and be totally fine. The reason they say do not eat them if they don't open (I think) is that once they have been sitting on ice at the store for days they could die and the meat could be so dry around the mantle that it could stick the shell together giving it the appearance of being alive. When you dig a clam they could also have been dead and full of mud when you got them and you just didn't notice when you threw them in the boil. Either way you would not want to eat them. For oysters, if they are closed up tight that is a good sign, when you shuck them just give them a smell. A dead clam, mussel, or oyster does not smell good at all and is pretty easy to distinguish from the good ones. Now you have got me thinking that I need to discuss this in a video! - Cheers!

[@tylerthefreediver655]

Which area in California do you normally find the oysters?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

They are throughout the state but I tend to go for the ones in colder northern waters as that is where they tend to also grow them commercially and the water in the bays seems a bit cleaner the further north that you go.

[@jasonjones6428]

So with the mussels, you eat them guts and all?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Yes and same with oysters. This is why there is a closed season for them compared to other larger species of bivalve shellfish. During months where they filter-feed on naturally occurring toxic planktons these toxins accumulate in the gut of clams, mussels, scallops and oysters and while the gut can be removed from larger shellfish while still retaining enough meat to eat, with smaller shellfish there would not be enough meat leftover to make it worth it. Since we eat the whole organism (including the gut) we could potentially get a concentrated dose of toxins (if we eat them during the closed season). As a result, we always call and listen to the pre-recorded and often updated messages on the biotoxin hotline first (800-553-4133) to confirm that shellfish are safe in that county when we want to plan a foray and we do not eat the gut and dark meat of any bivalve during the warmer months (usually May 1st-Oct. 31st). Good question!

[@PacificCoastHunterz]

What's the bag limit for those invasive crabs?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

35 per day as far as I know. But there should be no limit in my opinion!

[@jeffreybelmes8149]

Airator necessary to purge shellfish?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

I don't use one if it is less than 24 hrs in seawater in a bucket for bivalves but for crabs yes.

[@kito1san]

Kevin. How and where do we sign up for excursions like this with you?

[@haroldtakahashi8875]

...click the more button in the description...

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

You can email me at catchncookca@gmail and we can chat about what you are specifically interested in trying and we can then schedule something.

[@stephenbradshaw7927]

wondering if anyone is finding Oysters in Southern California?

[@GuiaStarks]

Please let me know where I can meet you!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

catchncookcalifornia.com has all of my events listed.

[@jeovanicordova5916]

How do I get the info to book a guided trip with you ?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Jeovani, you can email me for details at catchncookca@gmail

[@jeovanicordova5916]

@@catchncookcalifornia1574 hey I emailed the email you gave me and I still haven’t heard back from you I don’t know if I misspelled the email?

[@alexizzarelli9122]

I would like to eat the oysters

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Come along next time bro!