Preseason Registration Opens for Four Commercial Crab Fisheries

Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials on Aug. 9 began preseason vessel registration for 2024-2025 commercial crab fisheries in the Bering Sea in order to determine the number of observers needed to meet fishery coverage goals if these seasons open.

Total allowable catches are to be announced by subsequent Fish & Game advisory announcements if its determined that harvests will be allowed for the Bristol Bay red king crab, Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab, Western Bering Sea Tanner crab and Bering Sea snow crab fisheries, ADF&G officials said.

Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Executive Director Jamie Goen said she’s cautiously optimistic that there will be a commercial king crab fishing season this year. The king crab fisheries were closed in 2021 and 2022 and reopened for 2023-24, but with the smallest allocation in the history of those fisheries, she said.

The deadline for submitting preseason registration forms to ADF&G offices in Dutch Harbor or Kodiak is 5 p.m. on Sept. 24. Just one form is required for each vessel and a Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission permit card is not required for preseason registration.

The preseason vessel registration form and lists of vessels preseason registered for each fishery may be accessed online at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/cfregion4/dynamic/shellfish/management/vesreg/index.

ADF&G has modified the vessel selection plan for the 2024-25 crab season for the Bristol Bay red king crab, Bering Sea snow, Eastern and Western Bairdi Tanner crab fisheries. The agency said that to ensure observer coverage goals are met all vessels pre-season registered for the fisheries will be selected for observer coverage.

Vessel captains are responsible for contacting Saltwater, Inc. by phone at (907) 539-2548 to arrange observer coverage, including if they choose not to participate in the fisheries. Failure to provide a minimum of 10 days advance notice prior to vessel departure may delay fishing operations or result in enforcement action, ADF&G said.

While all vessels will be selected to carry an observer, observer coverage waivers will be issued based on observer availability and the percentage of active vessels already covered when individual vessel fishing plans are declared by Saltwater, Inc. Full selection would ensure an adequate number of vessels will be available to carry an observer should fleet consolidation occur.

ADF&G said the agency expects to deploy observers for the forthcoming season at rates consistent with past years, including 20% vessel coverage for Bristol Bay red king crab, 30% for snow crab and 30-100% for Tanner crab.

Catcher vessels selected will be required to carry an observer for 100% of their fishing operations.  Catcher vessel observer coverage for those fisheries is contracted and paid for by Alaska Fish & Game.

All crab processing vessels are required to carry an observer for 100% of the vessel’s crab processing operations. Bering Sea crab processing vessels must arrange and pay for their observer coverage.

They may, however, receive reimbursement from ADF&G for 20% of observer costs for Bristol Bay red king crab and 30% of observer costs for Bering Sea snow and Tanner crab fisheries.