Canceled crab harvests for Alaska and WA to cost fisheries $287 million, say US senators
Four U.S. senators, including Washington state’s Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, are calling for the declaration of a federal disaster after the cancellation of the 2022-2023 harvest season for two crab species.
The 2022-2023 crabbing season for Bering Sea snow crab and Bristol Bay red king crab were both canceled in October by Alaska’s department of Fish and Game. It’s the first time that the U.S. snow crab season has been canceled. Bristol Bay red king crab also saw its 2021-2022 season canceled.
Snow crabs have been moving to colder waters in recent years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries division. Washington state is home to about a dozen crabbing regions, most of which remain open.
In the Nov. 17 letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the senators said declaring a disaster is critical for fisheries and communities in Washington state and Alaska. It calls the closures historic The letter also was signed by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska.
The canceled seasons directly impact fisheries and fishers in Washington state and Alaska to the tune of about $287 million, according to the senators.
“Many of these fishermen and businesses hail from both Alaska and Washington, and the impacts of these fishery disasters extend far beyond our states to consumers across the United States and the world,” the letter states.
The senators say they particulary are concerned about the longer-term impacts as the canceled crabbing seasons reverberate through the industry. Shipyards, gear suppliers and seafood processors are being impacted, among others.
The disaster funding would be used to offset the losses and to create a stopgap against business closures and bankruptcy declarations being faced in 2022. The funds can’t be distributed until a federal disaster has been declared by the Commerce department.
This story was originally published November 18, 2022 at 8:40 AM.
