The 2006-2007 Bering Sea fishery for snow crab (Opilio) opened on October 15 of 2006, with a total allowable catch (TAC) of 36.5 million pounds, a 2 percent decline from the previous year.
Due to market issues, meat fill in the crab and the concurrent Pacific cod fishery, many crabbers do not begin targeting snow crab until mid-January or later. Because of strong cod prices this year, crabbers were focusing on cod through most of January. As of January 30, only 5.2 million pounds (14 percent) of the snow crab quota had been landed and only about a quarter of the fleet (21 boats) had registered to fish snow crab. The bulk of snow crab fishing effort is expected to occur in February as cod season closes and boats return to crabbing.
A fire aboard a major floating crab processor has also kept January snow crab landings low. The processor has reportedly completed repairs and is expected back in service during the second week of February.
One source indicated processors are assigning harvesters delivery dates in late February and in March. This creates some potential for Alaska snow crab to enter the market near or even after the opening date of the Canadian snow crab fishery.
One processing company has posted a base ex-vessel price of $1.52 for the 2007 season, a major increase from the preliminary 2006 price of $0.84. With lower quotas expected in competing fisheries and low inventory levels reported in the trade press market conditions have apparently improved for snow crab. The FOB Seattle price for snow crab clusters in early February is reportedly near $4.50 per pound, up from the $3.20 - $3.50 range a year ago.
NOAA Fisheries Alaska region and Restricted Access Management released a program report in December, providing detailed information on the crab rationalization program for the 2005/2006 fishery. The report is available here:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/crab/rat/rpt/2005crabreport.pdf
