This information can be used to assess existing protection measures to bolster population recovery. The data collected will expand understanding of seasonal changes in crab distribution during potentially sensitive crab life-history periods. New Findings to Inform Management Decisions The project is also tackling some important pot gear work to refine options that would keep unwanted small crab out of pots, as lowering fishing impacts is a high priority for crabbers.”Ī satellite-tagged red king crab, ready to release. “Both agencies are funding the project to prioritize urgent research that will help by getting some crab vessels and crew out on the water immediately to collect timely, important information. The agencies hustled to get research going in short order to help address the dire situation the crab industry is currently in,” said Scott Goodman, Executive Director, Bering Sea Fisheries Research Foundation. "The Bering Sea crab industry is very encouraged to be working with NOAA Fisheries and Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Crabbers would work at sea with scientists, providing the capacity to accomplish winter research that would not otherwise be possible. With crabbers out of work, the industry proposed a unique research opportunity. Reduced numbers of female Bristol Bay red king crab led to closure of the fishery under State of Alaska harvest control rules in 20 for the first time since 1995. It is driven by failure of the stock to produce enough young, but the reason remains unknown. The decline is part of a broader trend in red king crab populations across Alaska. However, the stock has gradually diminished over the past 15 years. stock and has been among the most valuable U.S. Declining Stock and a Research Opportunityīristol Bay red king crab is the largest U.S. Credit: Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers/Jamie Goen. This is a great opportunity to fill that data gap.”Ĭommercial pot fishing for Bristol Bay red king crab. But because of the difficulty of working in the Bering Sea in winter, we don’t have great data then. “That’s when people really interact with the stock- the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery and many other fisheries that potentially interact with crab take place in fall and winter. “It’s an exciting chance to study this stock in winter,” said study lead Mike Litzow, Alaska Fisheries Science Center. ![]() The research responds directly to data requests from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to inform their management decisions. Scientists and fishermen will work together on the month-long field research, set to launch in March. ![]() The Bering Sea crab industry is partnering with NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to meet a critical need for winter data on Bristol Bay red king crab. This winter, crab fishermen are working together with scientists to make it possible. Tempestuous weather and icy seas make winter research on Bristol Bay red king crab challenging.
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