Holders of individual fishing quota (IFQ) permits are allocated 30,617,100 pounds, with another 3,410,900 pounds allocated for community development quota (CDQ).
The fishery opened in Bering Sea district waters west of 165 degrees west longitude at noon on Oct. 15 and will remain open through May 15, 2020 in the Eastern Subdistrict, east of 173 degrees west longitude, and through May 31, 2020 in the Western Subdistrict, west of 173 degrees west longitude.
Due to closure of the 2019-2020 Eastern and Western Bering Sea Tanner crab fisheries, east and west of 166 degrees west longitude, retention of Tanner crab during the Bering Sea snow drab fishery is prohibited.
The quota for Bristol Bay red king crab, also opening on Oct. 15, was reduced to 3,797,000 pounds from the 2018-2019 season 4,330,000 pounds based on trawl survey studies, ADF&G said.
Harvesters with individual fishing quota will share in 3,417,300 pounds, down from 3.9 million pounds a year ago. Holders of community development quota permits were allocated a total of 379,700 pounds of the red king crab, down from 430,800 pounds.
The Bering Sea Tanner crab fisheries east and west of 166 degrees west longitude are closed for the 2019-2020 season due to estimated mature male biomass in those Bering Sea waters being below thresholds required for the fishery to open.
Last year the western district for Tanner crab opened with a total allowable catch of 2,439,000 pounds, down slightly from 2,500,200 pounds a year earlier. The eastern district was closed, as it was in 2017.
Pribilof district red and blue king crab again remained closed due to failure to meet federal minimum harvest strategy thresholds required for the fishery to open. ADF&G crab biologists said that the stocks had been declared over fished. The total mature biomass also fell below minimum harvest strategy thresholds required for a fishery, the agency said.