The 2020/21 commercial golden king crab fishery in Registration Area A of Southeast Alaska is off and running, with a guideline harvest level of 76,500 pounds.
Management areas, including Northern, Icy Strait, North Stephens Passage, East Central, Mid-Chatham Strait, Lower Chatham Strait and Southern, will be managed in-season and closed by emergency order once their individual GHLs are reached, Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials said.
The golden king crab fishery opened on Wednesday, Feb. 17, concurrently with the commercial Tanner crab fishery.
While the Tanner crab fishery is open, a golden king crab harvester also registered for the Tanner crab fishery may use a maximum of 80 pots.
The first in-season analyses of harvest ticket/logbook and port sampling data will be reviewed in early March. Any subsequent fishery area closures will be announced in March, and additional closures may occur on short notice, ADF&G biologists said.
