Alaskan king crab fishing

Commercial harvest of Alaskan king crab

Alaskan king crab fishing is carried out during the fall in the waters off the coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. The commercial catch is shipped worldwide. Large numbers of king crab are also caught in Russian and international waters. In 1980, at the peak of the king crab industry, Alaskan fisheries produced up to of crab. However, by 1983, the total size of the catch had dropped by up to 90% in some places. Several theories for the precipitous drop in the crab population have been proposed, including overfishing, warmer waters, and increased fish predation. As a result, the current season is very short and in the 2010 season, only of red king crab were landed. Alaskan crab fishing is very dangerous, and the fatality rate among the fishermen is about 80 times the fatality rate of the average worker. It is suggested that, on average, one crab fisherman dies weekly during the seasons.

In Alaska, three species of king crab are caught commercially: the red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus, found in Bristol Bay, Norton Sound, and the Kodiak Archipelago), blue king crab (Paralithodes platypus, St. Matthew Island and the Pribilof Islands), and golden king crab (Lithodes aequispinus, Aleutian Islands). The red king crab is the most prized of the three for its meat. A fourth variety, the scarlet king crab (Lithodes couesi), is too small and rare to be commercially viable, though its meat is considered sweet and tasty. Specific size requirements must be met; only certain types of king crab are legal at different times of the year and only males can be kept.

The most popular crab fishing time occurs between October and January. The allocated time for a season continued to shrink – at one point a red crab season was only four days long. After 2005, each boat was given a quota based on their catch from previous years and how many crabs are available to catch. The fleet went from 251 boats down to 89, and that number has since dropped, as many boat owners have found that leasing their quota is more profitable than spending money to ready a boat for fishing. Currently, the seasons last from two to four weeks.

After the 2005 season, the Alaskan crab industry transitioned from a derby style season to a quota system. This transition is known as rationalization. Under the old derby style, a large number of crews competed with each other to catch crab during a restrictive time window. Under the new individual fishing quota (IFQ) system, established owners have been given quotas, which they can fill at a more relaxed pace. In theory, it is intended to be safer, which was the main rationale for the change in the fishing rules. The transition to the quota system was also expected to increase the value of crab, by limiting the market of available crab. An influx of foreign crab negated some of these gains during the 2006 season. The rationalization process put many crews out of work, as the owners of many small boats found their assigned quotas too small to meet operating expenses; during the first season run under the IFQ system, the fleet shrank from over 250 boats to around 89 mostly larger boats with high quotas.

Commercial fishing boats are between in length, are equipped with hydraulic systems to lift the catch, and are able to withstand the freezing weather of the Bering Sea. Alaskan crab fishing, though, is specifically even more dangerous, with over 300 fatalities per 100,000 per year. Over 80% of these deaths are caused by drowning or hypothermia. The fishermen are also susceptible to crippling injuries caused by working with heavy machinery and gear.

In 1980, at the peak of the king crab industry, Alaskan fisheries produced 200 million lb of crab, but by 1983, the total size of the catch had dropped to less than 10% of this size. Several theories for the precipitous drop in the crab population have been proposed, including overfishing, warmer waters, and increased fish predation. The slow harvest forced many fishermen to diversify and catch snow crab (such as opilio and tanner crab) or cod. Since then, strict regulations have been enforced to responsibly manage the populations and allow them to rebound. The red and blue king crab populations have stayed relatively low in almost all areas except Southeast Alaska since 1983, forcing many fishermen to concentrate on the golden king crab. The influx of crab from Russian fisheries has also created economic problems for U. S. crabbers. The amount of crab imported from Russia has increased from around 21 million pounds (9.5 million kg) in 2004 to 37.5 million pounds (17 million kg) in 2005 to more than 56 million pounds (25.45 million kg) in 2007. Much of this foreign crab is reportedly caught and imported illegally and has led to a steady decline in the price of crab from $3.55 per pound in 2003 to $3.21 in 2004, $2.74 in 2005 and $2.30 in 2007 for Aleutian golden king crab, and $5.15 per pound in 2003 to $4.70 in 2004 to $4.52 in 2005 and $4.24 in 2007 for Bristol Bay red king crab.

Deadliest Catch is a reality series aired by the Discovery Channel beginning in 2005. The show highlights interpersonal relationships and the dangers of king crab fishing, including freezing temperatures, turbulent seas, and raising full pots that can weigh well over a ton. Since the season is short—both because of regulations and the weather—fishermen often spend days at a time in very rough seas working long hours with little sleep.