One section only of the Eastern Aleutian District Tanner crab fishery will be open for harvesting on Jan. 15, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said Nov. 28.
The 2017 survey abundance estimate of mature male Tanner crab in the Makushin/Skan Bay Section is 291,480 crab, which is above the threshold of 45,000 crab required for a fishery opening. ADF&G has set the guideline harvest level at 35,000 pounds.
A threshold of 200,000 crab is required for the fishery to open in the Akutan Section and a threshold of 65,000 crab in the Unalaska/Kalekta Bay Section. Since the survey abundance estimates came in at 99,178 crab for Akutan and 63,848 crab for Unalaska/Kalekta Bay, both of those sections will be closed for the 2018 season.
Preseason registration forms must be received at the ADF&G office in Dutch Harbor by Dec. 24. They are online at
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/cfregion4/dynamic/shellfish/management/vesreg/index and at the Dutch Harbor offices. A 2017 or 2018 TO90 Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission permit card listing the vessel’s ADF&G number is required at the time of preseason registration.
