Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Quotas Stable for Aleutian Islands Golden King Crab

When the Aleutian Islands golden king crab season opens on Aug. 15, the quota will remain at 6.29 million pounds, crab managers for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said July 15. The fishery will close on May 15, 2015.

The same quota was applied for the 2013-2014, and 2012-2013 seasons.

For waters east of 174 degrees west longitude, the individual fishing quota was set at 2,979,000 pounds, with the community development quota at 331,000 pounds, for a total of 3,310,000 pounds.

West of 174 degrees west longitude, the IFQ was set at 2,682,000 pounds, with an Adak community allocation of 298,000 pounds, for a total of 2,980,000 pounds.

Vessel registration was scheduled to begin on Aug. 12 at Dutch Harbor.

Fishermen were reminded to have a valid US Coast Guard commercial fisheries vessel safety decal, and an individual holding a 2014 Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission Aleutian Islands king carb interim use permit card must be on board at the time of registration.

Also at the time of vessel registration, all pots on board or in wet storage must be in compliance with current Aleutian Islands commercial golden king crab fishing regulations.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is seeking volunteers interested in testing electronic logbooks and willing to provide feedback for program improvements. Participants would not need to complete a paper daily fishing log. Minimum requirements on the vessel include a computer/laptop with Windows 7, a printer, and a USB drive. Internet access while at sea is not needed, as data is transmitted at the conclusion of each trip.

Those interested were asked to contact Suja Hall of NMFS at 1-907-586-7462, or via email at suja.hall@noaa.gov.

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