The Bering Sea snow crab fishery is off to an early start in hopes of avoiding sea ice.
“Usually nobody goes fishing until after Christmas. The bulk of the activity usually picks up in January,” said Heather Fitch of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Unalaska. As of Monday, only “a little bit” of crab had been landed, but more was expected soon, she said.
With crabbers already on the fishing grounds, the U.S. Coast Guard is also off to an early start.
