King crab Archives - Saving Seafood

Vanishing ice in the Bering Sea drops to lowest level since 1850

March 8, 2019 — For the second straight year, the Bering Sea — a turbulent and bountiful stretch of the northern Pacific Ocean — is virtually ice free at a time of year when it should be gaining ice.

Why it matters: The ice pack’s ebb and flow each year has far-reaching consequences for the broader Bering Sea ecosystem, including determining the reach and abundance of prized fish species such as Alaska pollock and Pacific cod. This is the richest fishing ground in the U.S., featured in the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch.”

The big picture: Scientists who keep close tabs on this region say the ice’s early melt is upending life in the Last Frontier. It also portends consequences for the Lower 48 states and beyond. In a new study published in Earth’s Future on Thursday, scientists warn that Arctic climate change is already reverberating far outside the region.

By the end of February, Bering Sea ice extent was lower than it has been since written records began in 1850.
The March 6 departure from the long-term average shows that an area of ice equivalent to California and Montana combined is missing from the Bering Sea.

Read the full story at Axios

Importance of Russian king crab grows as Alaska supplies tighten

January 25, 2019 — Quotas of Russian-landed red king crab from the Far East and Barents Sea fisheries are growing even as Alaskan landings shrink due to concerns about the health of the stock.

However, members of the Global Seafood Market Conference’s Shellfish Panel said last week that US supplies of red king crab are dropping due to the lower Alaska quotas and reduced Russian imports as more crab is sent live to China and South Korea.

The US supply situation could get worse before it gets better, John Sackton of Seafood Datasearch told the audience.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game set the Bristol Bay King Crab quota at 4.3 million pounds for the 2018/19 season, which compares to 6.6m lbs in 2017/18. This year’s effective spawning biomass was 33.3m lbs, greater than the 14.5m lbs needed to open the fishery. But there is concern that the biomass could shrink further in future years, Sackton said.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Brad Warren & Julia Sanders: Washington’s Initiative 1631 will help fight ocean acidification

November 2, 2018 — We write today to announce our support for Washington’s Initiative 1631. As businesses who rely on healthy fisheries for a significant portion of our income, we believe this is a well-designed policy that offers us – and our customers – the best possible chance against an uncertain future fraught with the threats of changing ocean conditions.

It’s become clear that our fisheries need a lifeline. Here in Washington, we are experiencing the worst ocean acidification anywhere in the world. Research has firmly established the cause of this problem: emissions from burning coal, oil and gas mix into the ocean, altering its chemistry. The consequences loomed into headlines a decade ago when the oyster industry lost millions and nearly went out of business during the oyster seed crisis. Temporary and limited adaptation measures in hatcheries are keeping them in business, but in the rest of the oceans, fisheries that put dinner on billions of tables are at risk. Here in the Northwest, harvests are already being eroded and even shut down by the effects of unchecked carbon emissions.

The “warm blob,” an unprecedented marine heatwave off the West Coast, reached its height in 2015 and caused mass fatalities. In the Columbia River, a quarter-million salmon died. The largest recorded toxic algae bloom shut down the Dungeness crab fishery for months. The food web crashed, and marine creatures were spotted farther north than ever before. Sea surface temperatures never returned to their previous norm, and new research indicates another blob is forming.

Summers have become synonymous with a smoky haze from wildfires causing poor visibility and poor health – this summer the National Weather Service warned even healthy adults in some Washington areas to stay indoors due to hazardous air quality. At the same time, our iconic orca whales are starving from a lack of Chinook salmon. The Chinook in turn are suffering from a lack of the zooplankton that juveniles eat.

Research has made it clear that some of our most lucrative fisheries are vulnerable to ocean acidification: king crab, Dungeness crab, and salmon. Scientists also warm that combining stressors – like warming with ocean acidification – makes survival in the ocean all the more precarious.

Read the full op-ed at Seafood Source

ALASKA: Bristol Bay king crab fishery set to open with a record-low quota

October 16, 2018 — Bering Sea commercial crabbing starts this week, with the smallest quota for Bristol Bay red king crab in more than 30 years at 4.3 million pounds, a 35 percent decrease from last year’s 6.6 million pounds.

The last time there was such a low number was in 1985, at 4.1 million pounds, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Ethan Nichols in Unalaska.

Nichols expects fewer boats fishing this year, with fishermen combining quotas onto one boat that otherwise would have been fished by two vessels.

At least there is a red king crab season, despite earlier fears of a complete cancellation, according to Unalaska Mayor Frank Kelty.

“We wish it was more, but we’re happy there’s a king crab season,” said Jake Jacobsen, executive director of the Seattle-based Intercooperative Exchange, which negotiates prices for the crab fishing fleet.

The season will open Monday with red king crab, followed by snow crab toward the end of the year.

On a brighter note, the snow crab quota of 27.6 million pounds is up 45 percent from last year’s 19 million, according to Fish and Game.

And there will be a Tanner crab fishery in the western district, which wouldn’t have happened two years ago.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

Alaskan man stole $85,000 worth of frozen fish and crab

August 28, 2018 — A Homer man faces two felony charges after Alaska State Troopers say he stole around $85,000 in frozen fish and crab from a fish processing business on the Kenai Peninsula.

Garrett Shaw Fitzgerald, 53, was charged Friday with first-degree theft and second-degree burglary, troopers said. Troopers say that Fitzgerald broke into Tanner’s Fresh Fish Processing in Ninilchik at 2:50 a.m. Wednesday.

Owner Jason Tanner said the door to his business was kicked in and $400 dollars was stolen before the suspect went into the commercial freezer.

Surveillance footage showed the thief spent an hour walking back and forth between the freezer and a vehicle outside. He carried box after box of frozen salmon, halibut, king crab and smoked fish.

“Every time I saw him, I go, ‘Oh, there’s a thousand bucks,'” Tanner said.

Troopers say about 3,000 pounds in frozen seafood was stolen from the business. Investigators believe an accomplice helped Fitzgerald, and that a second vehicle was also used to load up the stolen product, said spokeswoman Megan Peters.

All told, the frozen seafood was worth about $85,000 at retail prices, Tanner said.

Fitzgerald was arrested Friday in Soldotna, troopers said. Some of the stolen fish was recovered, but nearly all of it is unusable, Tanner said.

“He was cutting it open and repackaging it,” Tanner said. Fish was found in loose bags, some thawed. None of the king crab has been recovered, he said.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

Alaska crabbers gearing up for fall Bering Sea fisheries

July 20, 2018 — Boats are already signing up to participate in fall Bering Sea crab fisheries that begin October 1. Meanwhile, many crabbers are still awaiting word on what their pay outs are for last season.

Prior to the crab fisheries changing from “come one, come all” to a catch share form of management in 2005 prices were set before boats headed out, said Jake Jacobsen, director of the Inter-Cooperative Exchange which negotiates prices for most of the fleet.

“Since then the price is based on the historical division of revenues and there is a formula that is applied to sales. It takes a long time for sales to be completed to the point where we know or can predict what the final wholesale prices will be, and then we can apply the formula to it,” he explained.

Prices to fishermen were down a bit from last year but historically very high, Jacobsen said. For snow crab and bairdi Tanners, which typically are hauled up after the start of each year, prices were just settled and won’t be made public for another week.

“Most of the snow crab and bairdi prices were over $4 a pound, so that’s very good,” he hinted.

According to processor data, last season’s average snow crab price was $4.07 a pound; Tanner crab averaged $3.33. For golden king crab, fishermen averaged $5.51 per pound.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Russia Says Volume of King Crab in Barents Sea May Equal Far East in a Few Years; Cod Catches Drop

May 18, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Russia plans to significantly increase the harvest volume of cod and Kamchatka (King) crab in the Barents Sea during the next several years, according to recent statements of representatives from leading local producers and senior officials of the Russian Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo).

This year, however, the volume of cod catch in the Barents Sea in the Arctic zone of Russia is expected to be the lowest of the last five years due to the lack of productive year classes. This was confirmed by All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) Director, Kirill Kolonchin.

At the same time, according to Kolonchin, and in contrast to cod, the volume of production of Kamchatka crab in the Barents Sea may increase significantly. That increase is primarily due to the corresponding population growth of the stock that has been observed in recent years.

VNIRO experts predict the commercial stock of Kamchatka crab could reach the level of the Far East in the next five to 10 years, Kolonchin said:

“The main share in the catch volume in the Barents Sea is taken by cod [fishermen], the fishing stock of which increased from 1.5 million tons in 2006 to 4.3 million tons in 2013,” Kolonchin said. “However last year it fell to 2.5 million tons. Regulation of its catch in the Barents sea is carried out within the framework of the Joint Russian-Norwegian Fisheries Commission (FNC). For the current year, total allowable catch is set at 782,000, of which 331,000 tons accounts for Russia.”

He specified in 2017 the Russian catch of cod in the Barents Sea amounted to 396,000 tons, while in 2013 it was 432,300 tons. In the coming years, further reduction of cod stocks in the Barents Sea is expected due to the lack of new productive year classes recruiting into the fishery.

At the same time, according to VNIRO data, current Kamchatka crab stocks in the Barents Sea are quite high. Since the beginning of Kamchatka crab fishing in 2004, there have been two peaks in crab numbers: in 2006-07, at about 80,000 tons, and in 2014-17, at about 90,000-100,000 tons. However, in 2010, when the reserves fell significantly, the total allowable catch of Kamchatka crab in the Barents Sea was reduced from 10,400 tons to 4,000 tons. That precautionary measure resulted in the rebound and increase of its commercial stock.

Kolonchin also said that data in 2017 showed the appearance of numerous crab reserves, which should ensure the continued growth of this stock in 2019 onward.

Experts of VNIRO also added that the Barents Sea currently has favorable conditions for the catch of haddock, saithe, black halibut, sea flounder, catfish, capelin and saika. For example, after a two-year ban on capelin in 2016-2017, harvest levels for the current year were recommended at 205,000 tons, 80, 000 tons of which are the set aside for the domestic quota.

This story was originally published on Seafood News, it is republished here with permission.

Bering Sea Crab Fisheries Receive Certifications Recognizing Their Sustainability

February 7, 2018 — Five Alaska crab fisheries, including two Bering Sea ones, have met the Alaska Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Standard.

According to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), the Eastern Bering Sea tanner crab is newly certified under the Alaska RFM for this year. Aleutian Islands’ golden king crab also received a new certification.

In terms of re-certified crab fisheries, Bristol Bay red king crab, St. Matthew Island blue king crab, and the Eastern Bering Sea snow crab all completed the assessment process successfully.

ASMI’s RFM model is based on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations code and guidelines for credible certification, which assures buyers that the crab is sourced from responsibly managed, sustainable fisheries.

Read the full story at KNOM

Offshore areas opened for king, Tanner crab in Southeast Alaska

January 31, 2018 — Commercial crabbers in Southeast Alaska will have some opportunity to fish in offshore waters for king and Tanner crab fishing following decisions by Alaska’s Board of Fisheries in January.

The board didn’t go for other changes to those fisheries proposed by crabbers though.

A couple proposals sought to expand the boundaries of king and Tanner crab fishing areas into federal waters beyond three miles offshore.

The Southeast Alaska Fishermen’s Alliance’s Kathy Hansen said other crab fisheries were not limited to 3 miles from shore.

“This would just bring us consistent with the rest of the state and possibly give somebody an opportunity to try something a little different,” Hansen said.

With no federal management plan in place for crab stocks in those waters, the state can manage fisheries there instead.

Read the full story at KTOO

Alaska: Five crab fisheries meet stringent criteria

January 26, 2018 — Five crab fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands have met the stringent requirements for certification under the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute’s Alaska Responsible Fisheries Management program, two of them for the first time.

The newly certified fisheries were identified by ASMI on Jan. 18 as the Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab and Aleutian Islands golden king crab. The recertified fisheries were the Bristol Bay red king crab, St. Matthew Island blue king crab and Eastern Bering Sea snow crab.

“Both the reassessed crab fisheries and the new additions scored high in each of the assessment criteria exemplifying their fisheries management excellence,” said Susan Marks, sustainability director for ASMI.

Read the full story at the Cordova Times