Southeast's shrimp season opens small as the harvest keeps shrinking

Four Southeast Alaska shrimp pot areas open Oct. 1 with less than 45,200 pounds of quota left between them, and each will close as soon as its share is caught, Fish and Game said Monday.

The region's overall shrimp quota keeps shrinking. It's set at 382,600 pounds this season, down from 408,600 last year and well below the decade average of about 487,800. Three areas were closed outright for the year.

Behind the cuts is a long slide and a worrying sign for the future. The regional coordinator tied the reductions to a fall from a 1.1-million-pound peak in 2003 and to recruitment failures in several surveyed areas, meaning too few young shrimp are coming up to replace what's caught. The fleet had already taken 325,300 pounds across 90 boats by the end of July.

Fishermen have to re-register at a Southeast Fish and Game office. The open areas run until their quotas fill or Feb. 28, whichever comes first.