Alaska cancels Bering Sea king and snow crab seasons after poor survey results

SEATTLE, Wash. — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game canceled all opilio snow, red king crab, and blue king crab seasons for 2022-2023, in a major blow to North Pacific fishermen after trawl surveys revealed the stock is below the threshold for opening a fishery.

The announcement came Monday after crabbers had pressed the North Pacific Fishery Management Council during its October meeting to do more to reduce crab bycatch in trawl fisheries.

“On the heels of that decision came to an announcement that Bristol Bay red king crab will be closed for the second year in a row, and Bering Sea snow crab will close for the first time in the history of this fishery,” according to a statement from the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, Tuesday.

The group said this decision will cause $500 million in losses. They added it's already been having a rippling effect on businesses and communities. “People are simply going to go bankrupt and they’re not going to be able to feed their families they’re going to have to sell their homes boats are going to go up for sale, longtime crew that have worked on these boats for 25 years they’re all losing their job," said Jamie Goen, executive director for Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers.

“What the crab industry is facing is heartbreaking and what’s worse is that it is unnecessary. It didn’t have to be this way,” she added. “The crab will eventually bounce back and could do so sooner if the North Pacific Fishery Management Council had taken steps to protect the stock, as requested by the fishermen themselves.”

The owners of Wild Salmon Seafood Market in Seattle said they already had a limited supply of king crab, but this decision will also hurt the consumer by driving prices up. “Things have been cut back and things have been closed, and you know it’s been dwindling every year for many years," said Jon Speltz, the owner of Wild Salmon Seafood Market.

Snow crab populations declined after a 2019 Bering Sea warming that scrambled the broader marine ecosystem. Last year’s snow crab harvest of 5.6 million pounds was the smallest in over 40 years.

The causes of the snow crab population collapse are still being researched but likely include increased predation and stresses from the warmer water.

This limited supply means higher prices for customers according to seafood price experts. They tell us this is big deal in the industry because there are only a few places in the world that harvest king crab and snow crab. “The United States, Russia and Canada, which just harvested snow crab, and Norway. Now two of those places will not be available, to the marketplace. The U.S. now because of these quota cuts and then also Russia because the U.S. still has a ban on imports because of the war in Ukraine," said Janice Schreiber, the director of seafood price-current at Urner Barry.

Alaska, within the limits of a federal management plan that comes up with an allowable biological catch, determines how many crabs are caught. Meanwhile, Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers tell us they are pushing for more conservation measures to get these fishermen their jobs back.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.