SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton — Oct 17, 2013 — With the government shut down ended, it looks like the Alaska king crab fleet will be on the water this weekend.
Around 80 vessels have been stuck in port since Tuesday Oct. 15th due to the government shut down which meant necessary permits were not being issued.
According to congressional sources, the Alaska region is planning to implement an expedited plan to issue IFQ and IPQ shares, possibly as early as Friday. The agency has identified the personnel needed, and has a game plan in place to speed up the process.
Other congressional sources confirmed this as well, saying they also have been told that fishing will likely be possible by this weekend.
If this bears out, the season should proceed normally from here, as there is sufficient time to land king crab and meet the year end market in Japan.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.