King crab fishery to open for 5 days in Juneau area

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — It has been six years since it was legal to catch and haul home a pot full of red or blue king crab out of Juneau area waters.

The Department of Fish and Game announced Friday that the summer personal use red and blue king crab fishery will open for five days: Thursday through Monday.

The order is for Gastineau Channel, Stephens Passage and part of Lynn Canal, KTOO Public Media reported (http://bit.ly/2vX4z2w).

The agency is opening the fishery at a reduced harvest level. It will allow each household to take only two male crab total for those five days. The daily limit is also two males per household permit.

Many local fishermen, though happy about the king crab fishery opening, are disappointed in the two-crab restriction.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty pathetic bag limit,” said Mike Wiley, who said he will probably go crabbing further north in a different management area because the reduced Juneau harvest is not worth the effort.

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“Well not if you’re just going to fish one area and two crab is all you’re going to get for the whole season,” he said. “I’d rather get one per day in a different area.”

A summer king crab permit from the Department of Fish and Game is required for crabbing. A resident sport fishing license is required for fishermen 18 or older.
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Information from: KTOO-FM, http://www.ktoo.org

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