Southeast king crab registration deadline set for Oct. 2

Southeast Alaska crabbers have until Friday, Oct. 2, to register for the red and blue king crab season, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said. Late registration costs $45.

The competitive fishery, a race for a shared quota, opens 10 a.m. Nov. 1 in Registration Area A. The guideline harvest level, what the fleet may take, is 213,076 pounds, 1,503 above last season's 211,573 and just past the 200,000-pound minimum. It splits into 10 area levels: Juneau, Gambier Bay and Seymour Canal fixed from surveys, seven others managed in season by daily call-ins, with closures on eight hours' notice.

"Pot tags, logbook packets, and registrations will be available in area offices after September 11, 2026," Region I shellfish biologist Adam Messmer wrote Sept. 2. Buoy tags cost $1.25 each.

Anyone catching a tagged crab in Seymour Canal or Gambier Bay should record the location, tag number and legality on a packet form. Messmer is at (907) 465-4853.