Bristol Bay Red King, Tanner, Snow Crab TACs Set For 2024-25

Commercial fisheries for Bristol Bay red king crab and Bering Sea tanner crab opened with increased quotas on Oct. 15, and the Bering Sea snow crab season reopened with a total allowable catch of 4.7 million pounds.

“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,” Jamie Goen, the executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, and a member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, said.

“We’re feeling cautiously optimistic that the crab stock is starting to recover. But our work isn’t done,” Goen said. “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.”

“I’m excited to be going back for another season and meet up with friends in the communities that have supported me and my boat for over 40 years,” veteran commercial crab harvester Keith Colburn said. Colburn is captain of the f/v Wizard. Colburn and the Wizard are featured in the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” show, which offers vivid encounters of life as an Alaska crab fisherman on the treacherous waves of the Bering Sea.

On Oct. 4, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) declared the 2024 estimates of mature female red king crab biomass and effective spawning biomass to be above thresholds required for the fishery to open in Bristol Bay through Jan. 15, 2025.

The allocation of 2.3 million pounds includes 2.07 million pounds for Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) permits and 231,000 pounds for Community Development Quota (CDQ) groups.

That compared with the 2023-24 quota of 2.1 million pounds, including 1.9 million pounds for IFQ permit holders and 215,000 pounds for CDQ groups.

ADF&G set a total allowable catch (TAC) of 4.5 million pounds for the Bering Sea Tanner crab fishery west of 166 degrees west longitude, including 4,050,000 pounds for IFQ and 450,000 pounds for CDQ entities. East of 166 degrees West longitude, the quota was set at 1.77 million pounds of tanners, including 1,593,000 pounds for IFQ and 177,000 pounds for CDQ.

A year ago, the Bering Sea Tanner crab quota for those fishing west of 166 degrees longitude totaled 1,320,000 pounds, including 1,188,000 pounds for IFQ fishermen west of 166 degrees west longitude and 132,000 pounds for CDQ.  Tanner crabbers east of 166 degrees west longitude had a quota of 760,000 pounds, including 684,000 pounds for IFQ and 76,000 pounds for CDQ.

The newly reopened Bering Sea snow crab season was allocated a catch of 4.7 million pounds, with 4,248,000 pounds for IFQ and 472,000 pounds to CDQ.

ADF&G opted to keep both the Pribilof District red and blue king crab and the Saint Matthew Island blue king crab fisheries closed again for the season.

The Pribilof District red and blue king crab season was closed due to abundance estimates that remained below the federal minimum stock size threshold and stock being declared overfished.  Total mature biomass also fell below minimum harvest strategy thresholds required for a fishery.

Saint Matthew Island section blue king crab season also closed was closed again after state biologists determined that stock was estimated below the federal minimum stock size threshold and consequently declared overfished.

Mature male abundance remained below the state harvest strategy threshold of an opener.

Source: https://fishermensnews.com/bristol-bay-red-king-tanner-snow-crab-tacs-set-for-2024-25/