Aleutian Islands golden king crab quota rises 13% for 2026/27

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game set the 2026/27 Aleutian Islands golden king crab total allowable catch at 4.742 million pounds, a 13% increase over the prior season's 4.19 million pounds. The season opens August 1, 2026 and closes April 30, 2027.

For commercial permit holders, processors, and the port communities of Dutch Harbor/Unalaska and Adak, the announcement opens a defined nine-month planning window. The fishery is managed in two regions split at 174° W longitude, separating the Eastern Aleutian Islands from the Western Aleutian Islands area centered on Adak. In the prior season, the eastern zone carried a TAC of 3.32 million pounds and the western zone 0.87 million pounds.

The allocation framework traces to the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization program, a limited access privilege management program in effect since 2005. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council crab fishery materials confirm the rationalization framework and management context for the fishery. All crab landings are recorded on fish tickets and reported to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The announcement is a routine annual fisheries management notice directed primarily at commercial crab permit holders, processors, and coastal communities with direct ties to the fishery.