The Paragon and Kari Marie fish for snow crab on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022 in the Bering Sea southwest of St. Matthew Island.
Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, the trade organization representing the industry, has estimated the direct financial losses at about $500 million. Adding in the ripple effects to the economy, that estimate rises to about $1 billion. Jamie Goen, the executive director of ABSC, said fleet members have expressed frustration with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s past inaction on crab conservation as well as sadness going into this closure.
This year’s survey was even worse. Nearly all groups in the survey showed historic drops, with the exception of immature female crab, and managers are now working on a stock rebuilding plan that will likely take many years to see through. In the meantime, crabbers either can’t fish or have very small quotas, which won’t be enough to sustain them.
The two biggest crab processing communities in the Bering Sea — Unalaska and St. Paul — are also concerned about the impact. Unalaska Mayor Vincent Tutiakoff Sr. said in a letter to the council that the city is concerned about its harvesters, as well as the associated businesses at the port, being able to survive these cuts and closures. St. Paul is even more vulnerable: Crab landings and processing typically account for about 85% of the city’s revenues. Under the current projections, St.
St. Paul’s community development quota fishing group, the Central Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association, has also seen a major revenue drop because of the cuts in crab catch limits. Heather McCarty, the lobbyist for the association, said the organization is looking for ways to diversify, but has much of its portfolio tied up in crab harvesting and processing quota.
“I think people expect to not make very much money,” she said. “But there are many things ... like keeping the crew lubricated, keeping the boat lubricated, things that have to keep operating.”