The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has opened the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery after the closure of two years.
This department made the announcement on Friday in the morning that the enticing crab fishing season will begin on October. 15 following an review of survey data of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.
The fishing season ended on 2021 for the first time in 25 years because of the low numbers. However, this year the fishing enthusiasts will get a catch greater than 2.1 million pounds of fish to catch — which includes both Individual fishing quotas and the Community Development Quota. For 2020, maximum allowed catch was 2.7 millions of pounds.
According to officials from the fisheries department the data from summer trawl surveys indicates higher levels of mature females in the population. Both female and male crabs are both at historical levels, the fishery is not in or close to the “overfished” level.
Fish and Game said that the total amount of both reproductive and mature females is above the thresholds needed to allow fishing.
Red King crabs are the biggest commercially-harvested crabs and are typically taken from Bristol Bay. As per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The Bristol Bay stock is considered to be the second-largest King crab population around the globe..
Fish and Game also announced on Friday the fact that it will not be able to open the Bering Sea’s fishery for snow crab will be closed for the second year in a row. The snow crab, also known as opilio has been classified as “overfished” by 2021 and regulators subsequently closed the fishery in the following year, shortly after state surveys revealed record levels for snow crabs’ recruitment. The sudden drop in numbers came as an unwelcome surprise to those in the field. Certain theories suggest that climate change could be the reason.
It will be an eastern and western Bering Sea tanner crab season this year. The season will also begin in October. 15. The state has allocated over 1.3 million pounds for the Western region of tanner crab also known as the bairdi, as well as 760,000 pounds for the east. The allocation for the western region is up over 50% from the total allowed catch of last year The Eastern the tanner TAC is down by 35% from last year’s.
The Bristol Bay red king crab fishing season starts October. 15, at 12 noon, and will close on the following day, Jan. 15.
