February 22, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Tempestuous weather and icy seas make winter research on Bristol Bay red king crab challenging. This winter, crab fishermen are working together with scientists to make it possible.
The Bering Sea crab industry is partnering with NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to meet a critical need for winter data on Bristol Bay Red king crab. Scientists and fishermen will work together on the month-long field research, set to launch in March. The research responds directly to data requests from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to inform their management decisions.
“It’s an exciting chance to study this stock in winter,” said study lead Mike LItzow, Alaska Fisheries Science Center. “That’s when people really interact with the stock— the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery and many other fisheries that potentially interact with crab take place in fall and winter. But because of the difficulty of working in the Bering Sea in winter, we don’t have great data then. This is a great opportunity to fill that data gap.”