Crabbers across Southeast Alaska set out Feb. 12 for the region’s commercial tanner crab fishery, facing reportedly low prices, but a strong stock estimate.
Fifty six boats registered for the season, which began a few weeks after Kodiak crabbers went on strike over low prices. Kodiak processors offered around $3 per pound, according to a report in journalist Nat Herz’s newsletter, Northern Journal. That’s below half of last year’s prices, which climbed up to $8.
“We haven’t received any fish tickets so I don’t have what the price is this year but there have been other published articles that have stated it will be less,” state fisheries biologist Zane Chapman said in an email to the CVN, referring to the Southeast fishery.
Fisheries managers are keeping the season open for an additional day, they announced right before the opener. That means “core” areas, like Berner’s Bay, were open for six days; they closed on Sunday. “Non Core” areas, including much of the Lynn Canal, were open through noon Feb. 23. Some other areas will stay open until the end of March.
The state came out with a high regional abundance estimate last fall: 5.2 million crabs. That continues a steady increase since 2007, according to Chapman. But the stock isn’t evenly spread across Southeast. “It was quite the mix with some areas improving and others seeing reduced biomasses,” Chapman said.
Last year the Lynn Canal saw 13 permit holders catch 78,792 crabs weighing a total of 191,356 pounds and selling for $1,064,205.
In the past five years, commercial crabbers in Lynn Canal caught a high of 87,194 tanner crabs — in 2020-21 — and a low of 27,839 crabs, in 2017-18.
Numbers for the current season won’t be available until after it ends, when fishery managers put together a catch summary and tally it by district.