Alaska Dungeness Crab Fishing

A fishing vessel.

Dungeness crab fishing is limited to certain parts of Alaskan waters, and has been closed in some locations. The average harvests between 2000 and 2004 seasons were 5 million lb. caught totaling approximately $7 million.

Habitat

Dungeness crab live on the bottom of the ocean floor in muddy or sandy environments and can be found from intertidal zones up to 600 feet, ranging from Alaskan waters down to southern California.

About Dungies

A dungeness crab.

The name of the Dungeness crabs come from a shallow, sandy bay inside of Dungeness spit on the south shore of the Straights of Juan de Fuca. The crab has an oval-shaped shell and is averages between 6 and 7 inches. According to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, the mating season for these crabs begins in the spring lasting through the fall, and the males are polygamous. Females can carry up to 2.5 million eggs. Dungeness crab are carnivores and feed off the bottom of the oceans including shrimp, mussels, small crabs, clams and worms.

Fishing for Dungies

Crab pots.

Dungeness crabs are caught in pots, ring nets and diving gear. The pots are round and are between 3 and 5 feet in diameter and approximately 1.5 feet tall. For crabs that are too small to be kept, there are rings in the pots that allow for the undersized crab to escape. To catch crab, the pots are lowered to the bottom of the sea floor attached to a line and buoy with identification written on it. Bait is used in the pots to lure the crab to the pot. After they enter the pot, they cannot exit because the entry only system.

Seasons

Throughout Alaskan waters, Dungeness crabs have different seasons. Near Yakutat, the fishery is closed until further notice. In southeast Alaska, Dungeness is open for pot fishery in all areas in October and November, open in most areas from mid-June to mid-August, and open only in designated areas from December through the end of February. The Kodiak and Alaska Peninsula fishery is open from May through the end of December. For more information on specific fisheries, please refer to the ADF&G at www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/pubs/seasons/season_2.pdf.

Concerns with Dungies

ADF&G officials say that concerns with paralytic shellfish poisoning and bitter crab syndrome led to the closure of Dungeness fisheries in some places in southeast Alaska and in Yakutat. BCS is a disease caused by a parasite. There is much that is not known about the parasite and how it infects the crab.

References

• The Dungeness Crab
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Dungeness Crab
• AFSC Quarterly Report: Bitter Crab Syndrome
• ADFG Sport Fish Division: Commercial Fisheries of Alaska

Resources

• ADF&G: Division of Commercial Fisheries
• Alaska Fisheries Sciene Center: Dungeness Crab