Two of the largest crab fisheries in Alaska will be completely closed this season as stocks continue to decline. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced closures in the Bering Sea snow crab fishery and the Bristol Bay red king crab fisheries on Oct. 10. The fisheries usually begin in mid-October. Fish and Game has the final say on whether a fishery goes forward, and
”Ouch," CVRF CEO Eric Deakin said was his reaction. "Before we did the deal in 2020, the projections were really high that the crab was headed up. And this was a total surprise.”
As crab fishermen face a dire season in Western Alaska this year, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council is looking for quick analysis and the fleet is looking for more extensive closures to protect some crab stocks. Survey data has shown an approximately 90% drop in snow crab stocks since the last survey, pushing acceptable catch limits down, while the long-term decline
The snow crab is a mainstay of the Alaska crab boat fleet much of it based in Washington and the 2021-22 catch limit of 5.6 million pounds, announced Oct. 8, is down 88 percent from the previous season.