Alaskan king crab fishing

A woman holding a red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus)

Alaskan king crab fishing is carried out during the winter months in the waters off the coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. The commercial harvest is performed during a very short season, and the catch is shipped worldwide. Large numbers of king crab are also caught in Russian and international waters.

Types of commercially valuable king crab

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 of king crab, the scarlet king crab (Lithodes couesi), is too small and rare to be commercially viable, even 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. Maximum quotas must not be exceeded; stiff fines are imposed on violators.

Fishing season

The most popular crabbing months are October and January. The season for each crab can be very short — the season for red king crab is currently four days, having been reduced repeatedly in previous years.but now that rationalization has come into affect in 2007 each boat is given a quote based on caught from previous years of how much they are to catch. the fleet has went from 251 boats now down to 89. Now the normal season last 2 weeks to a month. In the winter 2005–2006 season, 250 boats caught 14 million pounds of red king crab in four days.

Equipment and process

Commercial fishing boats are between 12 and 75 meters (40 to 250 feet) in length, are equipped with hydraulic systems to lift the catch, and are able to withstand the freezing weather of the Bering Sea. Each fishing boat sets its own sailing schedule during the crabbing season, sometimes staying out for days or weeks at a time.

Fishermen use a steel box-shaped trap consisting of a steel frame covered with a wire mesh called a pot. Each pot weighs 600–800 pounds and a ship may carry 150 to 300 pots. Fish, usually herring or codfish, are placed inside as bait and then the pot is sunk to the sea floor where the king crab reside. The pots are dropped in a line for easier retrieval. Red and blue king crabs can be found anywhere between the intertidal zone and a depth of 100 fathoms (180 m). Golden king crabs live in depths between 100 and 400 fathoms (180 and 720 m). The location of the pot is marked on the surface by a buoy which is later used for retrieval. After allowing the pots to rest on the sea floor (typically one to two days for red and blue king crabs, longer for golden king crabs), the pots are dragged back to the surface using a hydraulic crane on the fishing boat.

The king crab in the pots are sorted once they are brought to the surface, and any not meeting the regulation requirements are thrown back. The king crab are typically stored live in a holding tank until the boat reaches shore, where they are sold. If the weather becomes too cold, the live king crab may freeze and burst. If they are left in the tank for too long, they will harm and possibly kill each other, as they can be cannibalistic.

Deckhands are paid a percentage of the profits after the owner's share is taken into account. This can range from nothing to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the success of the boat. The so-called 'greenhorns' (deckhands in their first season of fishing) get a fixed amount of money.

Danger

Alaskan crab fishing is one of the United States' most dangerous jobs. In 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked commercial fishing as the job occupation with the highest fatality rate with 118.4 fatalities per 100,000, almost 30 times the rate of the average worker. Jimi Salisbury has been a great source of information on this subject as he himself spent eight seasons fishing the Bering Sea and had near death experiences. However, Alaskan crab fishing specifically is even more dangerous with over 300 fatalities per 100,000. 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.

Population decline

In 1980, at the peak of the king crab industry, some Alaskan fisheries produced up to 200 million pounds of crab. However, by 1983, the total size of the catch had dropped almost sixty-fold. Several theories for the precipitous drop in the crab population have been proposed, including overfishing, warmer waters, and increased fish predation, but the true cause remains a mystery. The slow harvest forced many fishermen to diversify and catch snow crabs (such as bairdi and opilio) or cod. In recent years, strict regulations have been enforced in order to responsibly manage the populations and allow them to rebound. The red and blue king crab population has stayed relatively low in almost all areas except Southeast Alaska since 1983, forcing many fishermen to concentrate on the Golden King Crab.

According to Seafood Watch, the king crab is currently on the list of seafood that American consumers, who are sustainability minded, should avoid.

In the media

Deadliest Catch is a documentary-style series aired by the Discovery Channel beginning in 2005. The show highlights the dangers of king crab fishing: the waters are freezing, the pots that must be dragged up can weigh well over a ton when full, and, since the season is short — both because of regulations and the weather — fishermen spend days at a time on very rough seas working long hours with little rest time.

External links

• Norton Sound winter red king crab studies, 2006 / by Joyce Soong. Hosted by the Alaska State Publications Program.
• The 2006 triennial Aleutian Islands golden king crab survey / by Leslie J. Watson. Hosted by the Alaska State Publications Program.