Alaskan king crab fishing is carried out during the fall in the waters off the coast of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
and the
Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...
. The commercial catch is shipped worldwide. Large numbers of
king crab
King crabs are a taxon of decapod crustaceans chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their meat, many species are widely caught and sold as food, the most common being the red king crab (''Paralithodes camtsch ...
are also caught in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n and
international waters
The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...
.
In 1980, at the peak of the king crab industry, Alaskan fisheries produced up to of crab. However, by 1983, the total size of the catch had dropped by up to 90% in some places. Several theories for the precipitous drop in the crab population have been proposed, including
overfishing, warmer waters, and increased fish predation.
As a result, the current season is very short and in the 2010 season, only of red king crab were landed.
Alaskan crab fishing is very dangerous, and the fatality rate among the fishermen is about 80 times the fatality rate of the average worker. It is suggested that, on average, one crab fisherman dies weekly during the seasons.
[Christie, Les]
America’s most dangerous jobs
Retrieved on April 28, 2007
Types of commercially valuable king crab
In Alaska, three species of king crab are caught commercially: the
red king crab
The red king crab (''Paralithodes camtschaticus''), also called Kamchatka crab or Alaskan king crab, is a species of king crab native to the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. It was introduced to the Barents Sea. It grows to a leg span of , and is ...
(''Paralithodes camtschaticus'', found in
Bristol Bay,
Norton Sound
Norton Sound (russian: Нортон-Саунд) is an inlet of the Bering Sea on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, south of the Seward Peninsula. It is about 240 km (150 mi) long and 200 km (125 mi) wide. The Yukon ...
, and the
Kodiak Archipelago
The Kodiak Archipelago (russian: Кадьякский архипелаг , translit = Kad'yakskiy arkhipelag) is an archipelago (group of islands) south of the main land-mass of the state of Alaska (United States), about by air south-west of A ...
), blue king crab (''
Paralithodes platypus'',
St. Matthew Island and the
Pribilof Islands
The Pribilof Islands (formerly the Northern Fur Seal Islands; ale, Amiq, russian: Острова Прибылова, Ostrova Pribylova) are a group of four volcanic islands off the coast of mainland Alaska, in the Bering Sea, about north ...
), and golden king crab (''Lithodes aequispinus'',
Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...
). The red king crab is the most prized of the three for its meat. A fourth variety, the scarlet king crab (''Lithodes couesi''), is too small and rare to be commercially viable, though its meat is considered sweet and tasty.
Specific size requirements must be met; only certain types of king crab are legal at different times of the year and only males can be kept.
Fishing season
The most popular crab-fishing time occurs between October and January. The allocated time for a season continued to shrink – at one point a red crab season was only four days long. After 2005, each boat was given a quota based on their catch from previous years and how many crabs are available to catch. The fleet went from 251 boats down to 89, and that number has since dropped, as many boat owners have found that leasing their quota is more profitable than spending money to ready a boat for fishing. Currently, the seasons last from two to four weeks.
Rationalization: derby vs. quota
After the 2005 season, the Alaskan crab industry transitioned from a derby-style season to a quota system. This transition is known as rationalization. Under the old derby style, a large number of crews competed with each other to catch crab during a restrictive time window. Under the new
individual fishing quota Individual fishing quotas (IFQs), also known as "individual transferable quotas" (ITQs), are one kind of '' catch share'', a means by which many governments regulate fishing. The regulator sets a species-specific total allowable catch (TAC), typical ...
(IFQ) system, established owners have been given quotas, which they can fill at a more relaxed pace. In theory, it is intended to be safer, which was the main rationale for the change in the fishing rules. The transition to the quota system was also expected to increase the value of crab, by limiting the market of available crab. An influx of foreign crab negated some of these gains during the 2006 season.
The rationalization process put many crews out of work, as the owners of many small boats found their assigned quotas too small to meet operating expenses; during the first season run under the IFQ system, the fleet shrank from over 250 boats to around 89 mostly larger boats with high quotas.
Equipment and process
Commercial
fishing boats
A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing.
The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was es ...
are between in length, are equipped with
hydraulic
Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counte ...
systems to lift the catch, and are able to withstand the freezing weather of the
Bering Sea.
Each fishing boat sets its own sailing schedule during the crabbing season, often staying out for days or weeks at a time.
Fishermen use a box-shaped trap called a
pot, which consists of a steel frame covered with a nylon mesh. Each pot weighs and a ship may carry 150 to 300 pots.
Fish, usually
herring or
codfish
Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...
, are placed inside as bait, and then the pot is sunk to the
sea floor where the king crabs reside. The pots are dropped in a straight line (known as a "string") for easier retrieval.
Red and blue king crab can be found between the
intertidal zone and a depth of .
Golden king crab
''Lithodes aequispinus'', the golden king crab, also known as the brown king crab, is a king crab species native to the North Pacific. Golden king crabs are primarily found in the Aleutian Islands and waters nearer to Alaska and British Columbia; ...
live in depths between 100 and 400 fathoms (180–720 m, 600–2400 ft). The location of the pot is marked on the surface by a
buoy, which is later used for retrieval. After allowing the pots to rest on the sea floor (typically one to two days for red and blue king crab, longer for golden king crab), the pots are hauled back to the surface using a hydraulic winch with a pulley on the end called a "block".
The pot is then brought on board the boat and the crew sorts the catch. Any crabs not meeting the regulation requirements for size and gender are thrown back. The crabs are stored live in a holding tank until the boat reaches shore, where they are sold. If the weather becomes too cold, the live crabs may freeze and burst. If they are left in the tank for too long, they can harm and possibly kill each other as they can be
cannibalistic
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...
.
Even the rocking of the boat can cause damage to the crabs, so boards are inserted in the holds to prevent excessive side-to-side movement. If a crab dies in the hold for any reason, it releases toxins that can kill other crabs. If the crew fails to remove the dead crabs, they can poison the entire tank and ruin the catch.
Deckhands are paid a percentage of the profits after the owner's share is taken into account. This can range from nothing to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the size of the harvest. The so-called "
greenhorns" (deckhands in their first season of fishing) are paid a fixed sum of money.
Danger
Statistically, Alaskan crab fishing remains the most dangerous job in the United States.
[ In 2006, the Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked commercial fishing as the occupation with the highest fatality rate, with 141.7 per 100,000 per year, almost 75% higher than the rate for pilots, flight engineers, and loggers, the next-most hazardous occupations. Alaskan crab fishing, though, is specifically even more dangerous, with over 300 fatalities per 100,000 per year.
Over 80% of these deaths are caused by drowning or hypothermia. The fishermen are also susceptible to crippling injuries caused by working with heavy machinery and gear.
]
Population decline
In 1980, at the peak of the king crab industry, Alaskan fisheries produced 200 million lb of crab, but by 1983, the total size of the catch had dropped to less than 10% of this size. Several theories for the precipitous drop in the crab population have been proposed, including overfishing, warmer waters, and increased fish predation. The slow harvest forced many fishermen to diversify and catch snow crab
''Chionoecetes'' is a genus of crabs that live in the northern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
The genus ''Chionoecetes'' currently contains seven distinct species.
Other names for crabs in this genus include "queen crab" (in Canada) and " spider ...
(such as opilio and tanner crab
''Chionoecetes'' is a genus of crabs that live in the northern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
The genus ''Chionoecetes'' currently contains seven distinct species.
Other names for crabs in this genus include "queen crab" (in Canada) and "spider ...
) or cod
Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...
. Since then, strict regulations have been enforced to responsibly manage the populations and allow them to rebound. The red and blue king crab populations have stayed relatively low in almost all areas except Southeast Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
since 1983, forcing many fishermen to concentrate on the golden king crab.
Foreign fisheries
King crabs caught outside the United States are currently on the list of seafood that sustainability-minded consumers should avoid; the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984. Its biologists ...
's Seafood Watch __NOTOC__
Seafood Watch is a sustainable seafood advisory list, and has influenced similar programs around the world. It is best known for developing science-based seafood recommendations that consumers, chefs, and business professionals use to i ...
program lists king crab caught in the United States as a "good alternative".
The influx of crab from Russian fisheries has also created economic problems for U.S. crabbers. The amount of crab imported from Russia has increased from around 21 million pounds (9.5 million kg) in 2004 to 37.5 million pounds (17 million kg) in 2005 to more than 56 million pounds (25.45 million kg) in 2007.[ Much of this foreign crab is reportedly caught and imported illegally and has led to a steady decline in the price of crab from $3.55 per pound in 2003 to $3.21 in 2004, $2.74 in 2005 and $2.30 in 2007 for Aleutian golden king crab, and $5.15 per pound in 2003 to $4.70 in 2004 to $4.52 in 2005 and $4.24 in 2007 for Bristol Bay red king crab.][
]
In the media
'' Deadliest Catch'' is a reality series
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
aired by the Discovery Channel beginning in 2005. The show highlights interpersonal relationships and the dangers of king crab fishing, including freezing temperatures, turbulent seas, and raising full pots that can weigh well over a ton. Since the season is short—both because of regulations and the weather—fishermen often spend days at a time in very rough seas working long hours with little sleep.
References
External links
Norton Sound winter red king crab studies, 2006
/ by Joyce Soong. Hosted by th
Alaska State Publications Program
The 2006 triennial Aleutian Islands golden king crab survey
/ by Leslie J. Watson. Hosted by th
Alaska State Publications Program
Norwegian-Americans in the King Crab Fishery
/ by Øyvind Malmin. Hosted by th
Bergen Open Research Archive
/ Pots of Gold; The Profit and the Sorrow / History of the Alaska King Crab Fishery / by John Sabella
Nofima detailed "LH teina" king crab pot research
{{Authority control
King Crab
King crabs are a taxon of decapod crustaceans chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their meat, many species are widely caught and sold as food, the most common being the red king crab (''Paralithodes camtsch ...
King crabs