On Sunday morning, fishermen should have set up their gear for the Kodiak’s largest tanner crab fishing operation since 1986. The harbor was nearly full of empty crab pots, and there were dozens upon dozens of boats. Fisherman waited in line for coffee at the downtown coffee shop.
Frank Miles is the owner of the Sumner Strait, a 58-foot limit seine. He has been fishing commercially for almost 50 years. He first started tanner around Kodiak in the 80s when he cut bait for a local boat.
He said, “I’ve turned it into a very lucrative livelihood.” “I have raised three children in this town with the fishing income. It’s been beautiful.”
Miles usually fishes for pot cod and longlines to catch halibut, black cod, and halibut. He tenders salmon. He decided to wait until the cod season was over so that he could get tanners. He wasn’t sure prices would rise as much as the record of $8 per pound last year.
“But I never thought we’d be offered $2.50. Miles stated that it was a rude slap on the face.
This is how much Kodiak’s processors offered before the opening of the tanner crab fishing season.
Miles said that he is aware that processors’ costs have increased, but his own has not. He’s losing money by keeping his boat tied up because fuel and bait costs have risen, it’s more costly to replace or repair crab pots and it’s harder to get new ones. Miles stated that it costs $63,000 to insure his boat, which is one of two he owns. He also added $15,000 for moorage fees in the Sumner Strait.
Kodiak’s whole fleet sat through the season opener Sunday and don’t plan on fishing any time soon. This includes the fishermen of Chignik, and the South Peninsula.
Kevin Abena is the secretary and treasurer of the Kodiak Crab Alliance Cooperative. This cooperative represents approximately 120 permit holders in the fishery.
There are a variety of species, from 32-foot gillnetters up to 118 foot crabbers.
He stated that they are still in negotiations with the town’s canneries, but the best offers have been made by processors from the Aleutian Chain.
Abena stated, “We are actively looking for tenders right now and working with the processors west to develop a plan to move all of this crab out West.”
Although it wasn’t final as of Monday, this decision was considered serious. Abena stated that the cooperative was in discussions with Peter Pan at King Cove in order to process crabs from Kodiak.
Bering Sea tanners can be purchased at a cost of $4 per pound from west coast canneries. Kodiak tanner craws are nearly an inch larger. This is another problem for local fishermen who believe that the Kodiak crab is more valuable than the current market.
Abena stated that both fishermen from the state and the community have expressed support for the stand-down. He stated that the earliest the fleet could go fishing is Wednesday, January 18.
He stated, “The amount we stand to win, everybody understands that it is much larger than what we are losing right now for sitting down for a single day, two, three or four – a whole week – whatever it takes.”
Frank Miles, a fisherman, said that if they get a fair deal, they’ll be ready.
He said, “I can’t WAIT to go fishing, man. I think everyone’s ready to go.” “I have never seen a fleet this ready.”
He and the others will wait in the meantime.
On Monday morning, either Kodiak processors could not be reached by telephone or did not respond to our request for comment.
Brian Venua contributed this reporting.
