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NPFMC Resists Shutdown of Red King Crab "Conservation Zone" to Commercial Fishing

the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has chosen not to grant approval for the closure of the Bristol Bay red king crab saving area to commercial fishing. This decision comes after the council deliberated on a proposal presented by the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers during its February meeting, which aimed to prohibit commercial trawl, pot, and longline fishing in the 4,600-square-mile zone of the eastern Bering Sea. However, the council ultimately opted against implementing stricter fishing regulations in this particular area.

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NPFMC Resists Shutdown of Red King Crab "Conservation Zone" to Commercial Fishing
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The red king crab savings area located west of Bristol Bay in the Eastern Bering Sea was established in 1996 with the aim of providing a refuge where crab populations would not face fishing pressure. While the area prohibits crab fishing and bottom-trawling, other fishing activities such as pelagic trawling, pot fishing, and longlining have historically been permitted under the assumption that they have minimal impact on the king crab population. Following the establishment of the savings area, the mature male red king crab stock notably increased from 8.5 million to 10.5 million in the subsequent year.
In response to a decline in the Bristol Bay red king crab stock, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) evaluated a pot gear closure in Area 512 within the eastern area of Bristol Bay. This decline led to the closure of the red king crab fishery in 2021 and 2022, with a reopening in 2023 under a limited quota system. By November 18, 2023, the 31 vessels in the fishery had delivered nearly all of the 2.15 million pounds of quota.
In January 2023, NOAA rejected a petition from the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers to close the savings area to all fishing gear types, stating that such a request needed approval from the NPFMC first. The council deliberated on this request during multiple meetings in 2023, ultimately determining that there wasn't sufficient data to demonstrate that the closure would significantly benefit the crab population.
Executive Director of the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, Jamie Goen, expressed the group's desire for the NPFMC to take additional measures to protect king crab habitat, including exploring alternatives beyond static closures. Furthermore, Goen urged the council to investigate the impact of midwater trawling on the seafloor habitat of king crab, particularly north of the savings area. Goen emphasized that while the extent of mortality due to pelagic trawling in the savings area remains unknown, previous analyses suggest that pelagic trawl impacts on the seafloor are comparable to those of non-pelagic bottom trawling.
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