Welcome   Sponsored By
Subscribe | Register | Advertise | Newsletter | About us | Contact us
   


Dr. Bob Foy onboard a red king crab survey vessel Photo Credit: BSFRFB

Closed again: Bristol Bay red king crab unlikely to open for 2022

Click on the flag for more information about United States UNITED STATES
Friday, August 05, 2022, 15:00 (GMT + 9)

Summer surveys show dismal outlooks for Bering Sea crab fisheries.

Too soon to tell for Bering Sea snow crab and Tanners as those surveys are still ongoing.

It is unofficial, but state and federal managers last week told the Bering Sea Fisheries Research Foundation Board that the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery will most likely be closed again for a second season. That’s based on preliminary data crunching from this summer’s survey. A final announcement will be made in late August or early September.

The fishery was closed last season for the first time in 25 years.

This write up by National Fisherman’s Charlie Ess has more details on the bad news —

Surveys bode bad seasons ahead for Bering Sea crabbers

Alaska’s Bering Sea king crab crash has reached proportions it hasn’t known since 1994 and 1995, when the population surveys warranted a shutdown of the fishery. The outlook appears equally dismal for Bering Sea opilio crab.

In last year’s 2021-2022 red king crab season the fleet stood down after trawl surveys indicated that the biomass had fallen below the threshold of 8.4 million mature females. Though complete data for this year’s surveys won’t be out until sometime in September or October, preliminary data from the first of three surveys indicates another season in which crabbers will stay tied to the docks.

“We’re seeing some preliminary information that shows that we’re going to continue to be low in abundance,” says Mark Stichert, a groundfish and shellfish fisheries management coordinator with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, in Kodiak. “We’re seeing some very similar trends. The number of mature females is going down, and mature males are slightly up. What we’re not seeing is the entry of small crab into the fishery.”

The Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is based upon data gleaned from three phases of trawl surveys conducted in late summer. In the 2008-2009 season the TAC was set at around 20 million pounds. In the last decade the TAC’s have risen from 7.8 million pounds in the 2011-2012 season to 9.97 million pounds in the 2015-2016 season, then declined.

The TAC for the 2017-2018 season had been set at about 3 million pounds and was reduced to the 1.2 million pounds in the 2020-2021 fishery.

Given the complexity of the ocean ecosystem, multiple conditions may be responsible for the rapid decline.

“Clearly, there’s no smoking gun,”
says Stichert. “We’ve been in this trend for quite some time, and something is preventing the young crab from entering the fishery.”

 



Among theories considered by biologists, ocean temperature fluctuations and subsequent seasonal sea ice formation could have an adverse effect on the survival of larval crabs during the first month or two after they hatch, when they live as pelagics and are subject to the whims of ocean currents.

“Water temperature affects currents,”
Stichert says, “and they may get dropped into a less complex bottom structure.” That can mean falling into a land of starvation or a land of predators—or both.

The total mass of sea ice in the northern hemisphere has declined by 13 percent in the last decade, and the lack of ice affects water temperatures. While cold north winds dominated northern regions of the Bering Sea, a prevailing trend of warm, southerly winds prevented ice formation south of Bristol Bay and the Pribilof Islands.

“Ten years ago, it was not uncommon for ice to hit the north side of the Alaska Peninsula as far south as the Pribilof Islands,” Stichert says.

At the same time oceanographic data notes the shrinking of the “Cold Pool,” a body of water with temperatures of 0 degrees to 2 degrees Celsius. The Cold Pool serves as a barrier separating species such as pollock and cod from the northern reaches of the Bering Sea. Its absence from 2017 to 2019 has had a profound effect on species distribution, according to the 2021 Eastern Bering Sea Ecosystem Status Report, put out by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Bristol Bay red king crab areas

Some of the same ecosystem changes are suspect in the opilio crab crash. Last year the industry had expected a TAC of around 45 million pounds, which would have been similar to 2020-2021, but trawl surveys revealed a 99 percent drop in mature females and a substantial drop in the abundance of mature males.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council set the TAC for the 2021-2022 season at 12.4 million pounds, but the State of Alaska which jointly manages the fishery, opted for a much-lower TAC and set it at 5.6 million pounds.

“We saw an 80 to 90-percent decline in all sizes within the population,”
says Stichert.

The trawl surveys also found more than 50 percent of Pacific cod biomass had migrated to the northern Bering Sea. Those fish are normally held south of the crab rearing areas by the Cold Pool.

But in its absence, cod moved in and have been blamed for predation on the opilio crab. Another oddity is that the crab had marched westward, into deeper water, suggesting they were looking for colder subsurface sea temperatures.

Though some speculated that the crab traveled outside of the survey areas, scientists who advise the council are convinced that the crabs’ disappearance is linked to a cataclysmic mortality event.

As of July 25 the two survey vessels had yet to complete transects in the last two areas which encompass the waters around the Pribilof Islands and the northern Bering Sea. But it was doubtful that the missing opilio would show up; moreover in abundance that would substantiate a profitable TAC for the crabbers.

“It’s a massive, massive blow to the industry,”
says Stichert. “There is lots of uncertainty, and it’s hard to predict where it’s going to end up.”

[email protected]
www.seafood.media


 Print


Click to know how to advertise in FIS
MORE NEWS
Norway
Jul 2, 06:00 (GMT + 9):
Revolutionary Norwegian Project Transforms Industrial CO₂ Emissions into Sustainable Salmon Feed
Ghana
Jul 2, 05:00 (GMT + 9):
Ghana's Aquaculture Set for Sustainable Boost as ASC and Chamber of Aquaculture Forge Strategic Partnership
Viet Nam
Jul 2, 04:00 (GMT + 9):
Vietnam's Seafood Sector Navigates Global Headwinds to Meet Ambitious Export Targets
Spain
Jul 2, 02:00 (GMT + 9):
Cepesca Takes Spanish Fishing Demands to Brussels in Historic Meeting
Norway
Jul 2, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Norwegian Seafood Consumption Sees Significant Decline Over Past Decade Amidst Soaring Prices
Russian Federation
Jul 2, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Russia's Far East Salmon Season Surges: Pink Salmon Run Prompts Major Forecast Adjustment
Worldwide
Jul 1, 06:00 (GMT + 9):
World Bank Report: Sustainable Aquaculture Poised to Generate 22 Million Jobs and Trillions in Investment by 2050
Spain
Jul 1, 06:00 (GMT + 9):
Not a Mussel in Cobre San Rafael's Hands: Opmega Stops Unloading at Vilaxoán Port Due to Environmental Ethics
Norway
Jul 1, 03:00 (GMT + 9):
Norway Pelagic Fishing Update Week 25
Argentina
Jul 1, 01:00 (GMT + 9):
Argentina's Shrimp Industry Faces Unprecedented Crisis, Billions in Losses Amid Labor Dispute
Russian Federation
Jul 1, 00:30 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF - Record Sales as Russia's 'O!Mega Taste Pollock Festival' Concludes
Republic of Ireland
Jul 1, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Irish Fishing Industry Faces Staggering €800 Million Loss Under New EU-UK Brexit Deal
Brazil
Jul 1, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
AQUISHOW 2025: Health Course Unites Latin American Tilapia Leaders, Forging Sustainable Future
China
Jul 1, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Insect Protein Boosts Shrimp Surimi: New Research Unlocks Enhanced Texture and Nutrition with Bee Pupa Powder
Spain
Jul 1, 00:00 (GMT + 9):
Other Media | La Voz de Galicia: Anfaco Changes Its Surname



Lenguaje
FEATURED EVENTS
  
TOP STORIES
New Mississippi Seafood Labeling Law to Require Restaurants to Distinguish Domestic and Imported Products
United States Measure, Effective July 1, Aims to Inform Consumers and Promote Local Production, Despite Concerns Over Potential Shortages. BILOXI, Mississippi –  Starting July 1, a new seafood...
Fisherman's Day: Beyond the Ritual
Peru Every June 29th, as tomorrow, Peru fervently celebrates Saint Peter's Day and —in honor of his profession— Fisherman's Day. This deeply symbolic date combines religious devotion to the apo...
Vietnam's Tuna Exports Rebound in May 2025 Amid Global Trade Shifts
Viet Nam Producers Navigate US Tax Concerns and Middle East Instability by Diversifying Markets. HANOI – After facing headwinds in early 2025, Vietnam's tuna exports saw a significant recovery in May, r...
Anchovy-Dominated Diets Threaten West Coast Salmon, Study Reveals Fatal Vitamin Deficiency
United States New Research Links Ocean Shifts to Thiamine Deficiency, Killing Half of Endangered Chinook Fry and Deepening Salmon Crisis. SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A widespread vitamin deficiency, triggered by an ...
 

Umios Corporation | Maruha Nichiro Corporation
Nichirei Corporation - Headquarters
Pesquera El Golfo S.A.
Ventisqueros - Productos del Mar Ventisqueros S.A
Wärtsilä Corporation - Wartsila Group Headquarters
ITOCHU Corporation - Headquarters
BAADER - Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader GmbH+Co.KG (Head Office)
Inmarsat plc - Global Headquarters
Marks & Spencer
Tesco PLC (Supermarket) - Headquarters
Sea Harvest Corporation (PTY) Ltd. - Group Headquarters
I&J - Irvin & Johnson Holding Company (Pty) Ltd.
AquaChile S.A. - Group Headquarters
Pesquera San Jose S.A.
Nutreco N.V. - Head Office
CNFC China National Fisheries Corporation - Group Headquarters
W. van der Zwan & Zn. B.V.
SMMI - Sunderland Marine Mutual Insurance Co., Ltd. - Headquarters
Icicle Seafoods, Inc
Starkist Seafood Co. - Headquearters
Trident Seafoods Corp.
American Seafoods Group LLC - Head Office
Marel - Group Headquarters
SalMar ASA - Group Headquarters
Sajo Industries Co., Ltd
Hansung Enterprise Co.,Ltd.
BIM - Irish Sea Fisheries Board (An Bord Iascaigh Mhara)
CEFAS - Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
COPEINCA ASA - Corporacion Pesquera Inca S.A.C.
Chun Cheng Fishery Enterprise Pte Ltd.
VASEP - Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters & Producers
Gomes da Costa
Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. (Headquarters)
NISSUI - Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd. - Group Headquarters
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization - Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (Headquarter)
Hagoromo Foods Co., Ltd.
Koden Electronics Co., Ltd. (Headquarters)
A.P. Møller - Maersk A/S - Headquarters
BVQI - Bureau Veritas Quality International (Head Office)
UPS - United Parcel Service, Inc. - Headquarters
Brim ehf (formerly HB Grandi Ltd) - Headquarters
Hamburg Süd Group - (Headquearters)
Armadora Pereira S.A. - Grupo Pereira Headquarters
Costa Meeresspezialitäten GmbH & Co. KG
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Headquarters)
Mowi ASA (formerly Marine Harvest ASA) - Headquarters
Marubeni Europe Plc -UK-
Findus Ltd
Icom Inc. (Headquarter)
WWF Centroamerica
Oceana Group Limited
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. - Headquarters
Friosur S.A. - Headquarters
Cargill, Incorporated - Global Headquarters
Benihana Inc.
Leardini Pescados Ltda
CJ Corporation  - Group Headquarters
Greenpeace International - The Netherlands | Headquarters
David Suzuki Foundation
Fisheries and Oceans Canada -Communications Branch-
Mitsui & Co.,Ltd - Headquarters
NOREBO Group (former Ocean Trawlers Group)
Natori Co., Ltd.
Carrefour Supermarket - Headquarters
FedEx Corporation - Headquarters
Cooke Aquaculture Inc. - Group Headquarters
AKBM - Aker BioMarine ASA
Seafood Choices Alliance -Headquarter-
Austevoll Seafood ASA
Walmart | Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Supermarket) - Headquarters
New Japan Radio Co.Ltd (JRC) -Head Office-
Gulfstream JSC
Marine Stewardship Council - MSC Worldwide Headquarters
Royal Dutch Shell plc (Headquarter)
Genki Sushi Co.,Ltd -Headquarter-
Iceland Pelagic ehf
AXA Assistance Argentina S.A.
Caterpillar Inc. - Headquarters
Tiger Brands Limited
SeaChoice
National Geographic Society
AmazonFresh, LLC - AmazonFresh

Copyright 1995 - 2025 Seafood Media Group Ltd.| All Rights Reserved.   DISCLAIMER