Every preregistered Bering Sea crab boat is selected for observer coverage

Every catcher vessel that preregistered for this winter's Bristol Bay red king crab, Eastern and Western Bering Sea Tanner crab, and Bering Sea snow crab fisheries must now be ready to carry a state observer. Any skipper who gives the observer contractor less than 10 days' notice before leaving port risks delayed fishing or enforcement action, according to a Sept. 30 Alaska Department of Fish and Game advisory. The Bristol Bay red king crab list alone names 51 boats, from the Time Bandit to the Cornelia Marie. Operators arrange coverage, or say they will not fish, through the contractor, Saltwater Inc., at 907-539-2548.

In its August preseason registration notice, the department said it had "modified the vessel selection plan" and is selecting all registered vessels "to ensure observer coverage goals are met" should the fleet consolidate.

Selection is not the same as deployment. The department expects observers on 20 percent of vessels in Bristol Bay red king crab, 30 percent in snow crab, and 30 to 100 percent in Tanner crab, rates it calls consistent with past years. Boats not assigned an observer receive a waiver. No waiver will be issued when an observer is unavailable because of late notice. A boat that does carry one must keep the observer aboard for 100 percent of its fishing in that fishery and must provide crew-equal food and bunks, five sampling totes, and proof of Coast Guard safety compliance.

ADF&G money and federal funds recovered from fishery fees pay for catcher-vessel observers; processing vessels pay their own. The two notices give different figures on catcher-processor relief. The September advisory says those boats can recover up to 30 percent of costs in all three fisheries. The August notice set the reimbursement at 20 percent for Bristol Bay red king crab.

None of this means the fisheries will open, and the advisory says so directly. That question belongs to the department's annual industry meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 7, where it will review its 2026/27 total allowable catch calculations for all three stocks. The virtual meeting, at 9 am, is open to the public.