After only 28 days, the Norton Sound summer commercial Red King Crab season has come to a close. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, this year’s season was just over half as long as the average run of 54 days from 1994 to 2023.
For the 2024 season, Norton Sound was the only fishery in the country open for commercial Red King Crab harvesting. This is an attractive opportunity for fishing crews as the statewide commercial quota for the reputed “deadliest catch” is solely concentrated in the waters of Norton Sound.
A boat at the center of recent public scrutiny is the F/V Resilient, owned and operated by Raymond May of Kodiak. The vessel was first observed in the Nome Harbor June 18, prompting residents to voice their opposition to its presence in a series of Facebook posts and comments.
Apprehensions were expressed that non-regional boats coming to Nome’s waters could harm the local economy and regional fishing crews.
Despite local frustration, the Resilient’s operations are within the legal guidelines set forth by the BSAI Crab Rationalization Program. The program allows any vessel operating under a Limited License Program (LLP) permit to travel anywhere in the state to harvest Red King Crab.
The catch? They can only crab in one location for the duration of the season. The Resilient can, however, catch other types of crab like Tanner or Dungeness.
Local Impact
Longtime Nome crab fisherman Adem Boeckmann understands why fisheries like Norton Sound have attracted interest from non-regional fishing crews like the Resilient’s.
“If he does well and makes money and the state fishery issues continue, I would expect without a doubt to see more boats like him next year,” Boeckmann said.
Boeckmann believes that the Resilient accounted for a significant amount of this year’s 483,000 pound quota. He shared that a 58 foot vessel like the Resilient typically has the capacity to hold about 30,000 pounds of crab.
Attempts to verify the Resilient’s harvest amount with the owner of the boat have gone unanswered at time of writing.
The Resilient’s capacity is almost five times larger than the 6,500 pounds an average 32 foot boat common in the Norton Sound region can carry. According to Boeckmann, an increase in large, non-regional fishing vessels like the Resilient flocking to Nome could be devastating for established Norton Sound fishing crews.
“It’s becoming more and more competitive for king crab fishing. This year I’ll probably see just under a third or just over a third of what I normally catch,” Boeckmann said.
The presence of non-regional vessels also carry the potential to harm both local fishers and Norton Sound Seafood Products (NSSP). The for-profit company is owned and operated by Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC). The profits help fund regional projects like an annual energy subsidy program and grants for regional communities.
A statement provided by Tyler Rhodes, Chief Operating Officer of NSEDC, explained that outside crews like the Resilient are ineligible to sell their commercial harvests locally.
“NSEDC and Norton Sound Seafood Products (NSSP) are dedicated to providing support and a regional market to resident fishers from NSEDC’s member communities. To that end, our commercial seafood operations only purchase harvests from fishers meeting NSEDC’s residency requirements. NSEDC is not purchasing crab harvested by the Resilient. We are extremely aware of the importance of the Norton Sound red king crab stock to our subsistence and commercial fishers, and have worked accordingly to provide support – whether that is advocating for conservation when stocks are weak, or pushing to provide residents more opportunity in times of abundance.”
- Tyler Rhodes, Chief Operating Officer, NSEDC
Sales in Kodiak
A Facebook post in the Open Friends of Kodiak group on July 17 revealed that the boat is selling crab for $80 a piece at the Water Dock in Kodiak. The post noted that the Norton Sound’s Red King Crab is known for its sweet flavor and compact size. By contrast, a live crab bought off the dock in Nome averages $25.
For fishermen like Boeckmann who have relied on harvests from Norton Sound waters for over 30 years, the long term impacts of non-regional fishing operations are yet to be fully realized. For now, he plans to continue operations as usual with his boat, The Anchor Point.
“Getting to catch king crab is a huge privilege,” Boeckmann says. “Crabbing is a lot of fun. So it’s not just the money, it’s the adventure and privilege that is wide open here in Norton Sound.”
