Saint Paul Crab Harvest to be Processed at Unalaska
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A processing agreement forged between the cities of Saint Paul and Unalaska, thanks to an annual exemption approved by National Marine Fisheries Service, will allow for processing of 1.5 million pounds of snow crab at Unalaska, with tax benefits going to Saint Paul.
“Under the circumstances, it’s a win-win for both communities,” Saint Paul City Manager Phillip Zavadil said when the deal was announced Jan. 21.
Zavadil also said that the low north region snow crab total allowable catch (TAC) of 1,576,624 pounds and capacity issues associated with processing low amounts of crab at the Trident Seafoods plant on Saint Paul Island had made processing and custom processing of snow crab in the northern region non-viable.
“After careful consultation with crab industry partners and consideration by our city council, Saint Paul Island agreed to enter into discussions with Unalaska to allow regional delivery requirements to be waived and for crab deliveries and processing to be concentrated at the two available processing facilities in Unalaska in the southern region,” Zavadil said.
It was said to be a difficult decision for Saint Paul Island, whose tax revenues and economy rely almost entirely on the delivery and processing of snow crab. The community has applied for federal fisheries disaster assistance to attenuate the impacts of three years’ worth of fishery closures, Zavadil said.
The agreement could provide relief to snow crab industry participants who are struggling to operate as a result of the closures and low TACs, as well as the challenging market conditions that affected the fishing industry more broadly.
Under the agreement, Unalaska will collect the 3.5% seafood tax on north region snow crab that Saint Paul Island would have collected if the crab were landed and process in Saint Paul Island and remit those amounts to Saint Paul Island.
The agreement was allowed after NMFS’ Alaska Region Administrator Jon Kurland approved an application for annual exemption from the Bering Sea Snow Crab Northern Region Delivery Requirement for the 2024-2025 crab fishing year.
The exemption is effective through June 30, 2025.
“As a member of the crab industry we appreciate greatly the work done by both communities in short order to allow this exemption to happen,” said Ray Meloidov, a Saint Paul city councilman and president of the Central Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association, the local Community Development Quota group that owns various crab harvester and processor assets.
“This exemption from regional landing requirement has never been attempted before and will allow the industry to have a crab fishery this season even under challenging circumstances,” he said.
The Crab Rationalization Program has been described as a “three-legged stool” program which has successfully balanced the interests of harvesters, processors and crab communities since its implementation in 2005.
“The latest effort to secure the exemption is an example of the crab stakeholders working together creatively under the provisions of the crab program to respond to challenges affecting the industry,” Zavadil said.
Source: https://fishermensnews.com/saint-paul-crab-harvest-to-be-processed-at-unalaska/