March 30, 2014 — The Aleutian Islands golden king crab fleet came away empty-handed last week, after the Alaska Board of Fisheries declined to increase its quota — rejecting both the initial request of 15 percent and the compromise proposal of 5 percent.
Dillingham fish board member Fritz Johnson said the stability and health of the fishery merited at least a small increase, and proposed a 5 percent boost, which passed by a 4-3 vote. But the amended motion ultimately failed by the same margin, after the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s representative, shellfish biologist Heather Fitch of Unalaska, said the department opposes even 5 percent more harvesting of the crustaceans, also called brown king crab.
Fitch said the department lacks the data needed to justify any increase, and a majority of the board agreed when they voted it down March 20, meeting at the Anchorage Sheraton. The annual quota remains unchanged, at 6.29 million pounds.
“I’d hate to take a chance and look back at this two to three years from now, and say ‘we made a big mistake,’” said board chair Karl Johnstone of Anchorage.
Also opposed was board member Sue Jeffrey of Kodiak, who said crab are a difficult species to manage, and can “fall off the cliff pretty easily.” Though voting in favor of the 5-percent amendment, she said she only did so to prevent a possible increase to 15 percent.
Read the full story at the Alaska Dispatch