The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has released its total allowable catch (TAC) figures for the state’s fall and winter crab fisheries, with higher levels set for several key commercial species.
The Bering Sea red king crab TAC was set at 1,048 metric tons (MT), or 2.3 million pounds, up from the 2023 TAC of 975 MT (2.2 million pounds), with the season set to open 15 October. The TAC closely followed the recommendations of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (NPFMC) crab plan team, delivered in September 2024.
The fishery had been closed for the previous two years due to low abundance. ADF&G’s data showed a slight increase in mature male biomass and better-than-expected female abundance, though both figures are still far from historical highs.
Some scientists remain concerned about the stock’s ability to recover, noting that recruitment has remained alarmingly low over the last decade, according to the Alaska Beacon. NOAA Fisheries scientists and the ADF&G have recommended continued tight management practices to protect the stock and implemented a 20 percent buffer on this year’s TAC.
After a similar two-year closure following a mysterious mortality event later blamed on a marine heatwave linked to climate change, the Bering Sea snow crab (opilio) fishery will open on 15 October with a TAC of 2,142 metric tons (4.7 million pounds). The Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s annual bottom-trawl survey found cooler water temperatures have returned to the Bering Sea, resulting in a minor recovery of the snow crab population, with the abundance of juveniles showing a potential boon for the fishery in five years’ time.
“After these tough closure years, we’re happy to see some of our vessels heading back to the crab grounds and communities participating in these fisheries again,” Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Executive Director Jamie Goen told Fishermen’s News. “We’re feeling cautiously optimistic that the crab stock is starting to recover. But, our work isn’t done. It’s critical that we keep working for habitat protections, stock rebuilding, and the overall tools that the crab resource and crab industry need to build resilience, particularly as changing ocean conditions drive major shifts in our fisheries.”
Goen said the state’s crab fishermen are still reeling from the previous closures and a general down market for Alaska seafood.
“Some vessels have sold, some are fishing other fisheries like cod or tendering, and some are tied at the dock until fisheries improve,” she said.
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