Preseason vessel registrations are underway for the 2014-2015
fisheries in Bristol Bay red king crab, Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab, Western
Bering Sea Tanner crab and Bering Sea snow crab.
Forms for preseason vessel registration and a list of vessels
already registered is online at www.adfg.alaska.gov/cfregion4/dynamic/shellfish/management/vesreg/index
Through Aug. 20, 18 vessels were registered for the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery, 13 for the Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab fishery, 13 for the Western Bering Sea Tanner crab fishery, and 17 for the Bering Sea snow crab fishery.
All preregistration forms must be completed and received by the
Alaska Department of Fish and Game by Sept. 24. A Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission
permit card is not required to preseason register.
Vessels that have completed preseason registration in all four
of these crab fisheries are listed online in random-order by fishery. ADF&G
officials said that vessels would be chosen from the top of the roster for observer
coverage to achieve the target level of coverage in each fishery. Vessels that are
selected to carry observers will be named in a news release on or before Sept. 26.
Catcher vessel observer coverage for these fisheries is contracted and paid for
by ADF&G.
Selected catcher vessels will be required to carry a crab observer
100 percent of the time each vessel is engaged in the fishery. In addition to catcher
vessels selected to carry an observer, ADF&G will maintain an alternate list
of vessels for potential observer coverage in each fishery. Should the alternate
list be exhausted during a fishery, all vessels active in the fishery may be considered,
ADF&G officials said.
Crab processing vessels are required to carry a crab observer
100 percent of the time that crab is being processed. Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands
crab processing vessels must arrange and pay for their own observer coverage.
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