Nearly a dozen years in the making by federal fishery managers and the crab industry, crab rationalization was designed to stop the frenzied derby-style race for fish, protect the crab resource and reduce the safety risks in the world's deadliest job. The new system also aimed to breathe economic viability back into the Bering Sea crab fisheries and the businesses and communities that depend on them.
The crab rationalization program represents a huge break from tradition. In place of the "come one, come all" style of fishing, the new plan instead allocates quota shares of the crab to fishermen, processors and communities based on their histories in the fisheries. Now, instead of frenzied fishing seasons that lasted just days, the Bering Sea crab fisheries now occur over several months.
There has been much criticism of the crab program, but as we begin a new year, we get a first glimpse at how the plan is starting to play out in the Bering Sea and the emergence of economic and safety improvements. The new management system began in the fall with golden king crab in mid-August, followed by red king crab and snow crab on Oct. 15. Here is a sampler of facts and statistics from state and federal sources:
• The Coast Guard reported no lives or vessels lost during the fall crab fisheries, despite the occurrence of severe storm conditions during the first week of the king crab fishery.
• The Bristol Bay red king crab fishery is still ongoing, but more than 99 percent of the quota has been caught. That compares to a four-day fishing season last year. A fleet of 89 boats (down from 248 last year) delivered nearly 16.4 million pounds of king crab in 255 landings, or 99 percent of the catch limit. The average price was $4.50 a pound, down 20 cents from last year. Domestic crab prices in general are down from last year, due to large supplies of Russian king crab and Canadian snow crab.
• The Aleutian Islands golden king crab fishery remains ongoing. As of Dec. 23, a fleet of eight boats (down from 22) had delivered 3.9 million pounds in 52 landings, out of a 5.7 million pound quota. The average price to fishermen is $2.65, down from $3.50.
• A fishery for bairdi tanner crab of 1.6 million pounds was reopened this year in the Bering Sea for the first time since 1996, due to in part to the reduced fleet enabling the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to open the fishery. The opening price is $1.50 per pound.
• Although the fishery for snow crab opened in mid-October, it will not begin in earnest until early January and can continue through May. The fishery lasted 10 days last season.
• Fewer pots were on the grounds, in direct accordance to the trimmed fleet, which means fewer pots lost and a reduction in bycatch mortality of discarded undersize crabs. Pot usage for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands fall crab fisheries dropped to 24,000, compared to 69,000 pots last year - reductions of 65 percent and 50 percent, respectively.
• Of special interest to Kodiak: The Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Dutch Harbor reported landings of 774,000 pounds of king crab by 10 vessels to town, roughly 4 percent of the 16.3 million pound catch limit. Fish and Game said it was surprised to see landings that are very similar to Kodiak's averages for the past 10 years.
• The Bering Sea/Aleutians Island crab rationalization plan is undergoing intense scrutiny during the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council's 18-month review through April 2007. By then, coastal residents will have their own facts and statistics revealing what the new style of management has meant to them and their communities.
• In regard to lost jobs, this is what occurs in modern-day industries struggling to remain competitive in world markets - and Alaska crab is no different. Captains, and crew members and vessel owners are not earning enough money to sustain a decent living if they are fishing crab only 14 days a year. Because of the crab rationalization program, those who continue to participate can now anticipate months of fishing, and make a decent living in a safer environment.
• To help offset the job losses in the crab fisheries, the Alaska Crab Coalition is supporting the efforts of the Alaska Department of Labor, Seafarers International Union and SEA Link to place dislocated crab fishermen in merchant maritime training and good-paying jobs.
• The ACC has also joined with the Deep Sea Fishermen's Union in Washington, D.C., to obtain additional federal funding for adjustment training, plus a $250,000 subsidy that would open up a $25 million federally guaranteed loan fund for skippers and crew members to purchase crab quota shares.
• The ACC especially appreciates the leadership of Sen. Ted Stevens in securing congressional approval of this program, which is already saving lives, improving conservation and providing a new foundation for stabilizing the crab industry and its dependent coastal communities.
Arni Thomson is the executive director of the Seattle-based Alaska Crab Coalition.
