Gambier Bay king crab fishery planned for 28 hours is now scheduled for 124

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game on Wednesday extended the commercial red and blue king crab fishery in Gambier Bay by 48 hours, to 6 pm Friday. That brings the season there to 124 scheduled hours. The department had planned 28.

The department's notices don't say why it kept the fishery going or how much crab boats have caught. The harvest level for Gambier Bay this season is 8,687 pounds.

Last season ended after two 24-hour openings. The fleet took about half of Gambier Bay's level in a first 24-hour opening and finished in a second 24-hour opening Nov. 4, according to department task force slides. Eighteen permit holders landed an estimated 9,905 pounds, essentially all of last season's 9,948-pound level, by preliminary figures.

This season, Gambier Bay opened Nov. 1 for its planned 28 hours, one of three surveyed areas in Southeast with short, fixed openings. The department reopened it Nov. 2 for 48 hours, then added 48 more Wednesday.

Southeast's regional harvest level of 213,076 pounds barely clears the 200,000-pound minimum needed to open at all. This is the second season in a row it has opened, and the fourth since 2006. In 2024-2025, the regional total fell below that minimum and the fishery stayed closed. Gambier Bay's own level that season had been calculated at 3,177 pounds, according to a department stock assessment.

After Friday's closure, crabbers may leave their pots in the water for five days if the bait is removed and the doors are secured fully open. All gear must be out of Gambier Bay by 6 pm Nov. 11.