State estimates more legal-size king crab in Southeast, but the catch limit barely moved

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates Southeast Alaska holds 25% more legal-size male red king crab this season, about 3.73 million pounds. But the amount the fleet may catch barely changed.

The harvest level for the season, which was set to open Sunday, is 213,076 pounds, according to the department's advisory. Last season's was 211,573.

Both barely clear the 200,000-pound minimum needed to hold a season at all, by about 6%.

Mature male crab grew much less. That count, including those not yet at the 7-inch legal size, rose 2%, to about 4.13 million pounds.

The gain in legal crab came from three of the seven areas the department surveyed: the Juneau area, Gambier Bay and Seymour Canal. Those three get short, fixed openings: 24 hours around Juneau, 28 in Gambier Bay and 56 in Seymour Canal.

Most of the harvest level is set in water the department doesn't survey. It estimates those areas by scaling up its surveyed results. Seven of the season's 10 fishing areas are unsurveyed. Each closes when its limit is projected to be reached, based on crabbers' daily call-in reports, and closures can come on as little as eight hours' notice.