Alaska Crab Boat Captain Salary

Crab boat captains receive the highest share of a catch's earnings.

Crab boats in Alaska offer their captains a percentage of a profitable industry: The crabs caught in the Bering Sea in 2009 totaled over $100 million in value, according to Alaska's Department of Fish and Game. Television portrays Alaskan crab fishing as a dangerous race, but recent developments have changed the way captains and crews earn their money, and as a result the industry is safer than it used to be.

Harvest History

The high market price for crab drove down Bering Sea crab populations in the late 20th century. The total-catch limits issued in response made crab fishing dangerous, as crab boat owners attempted to catch as many crabs as possible before the catch limit ended the season. To combat this recklessness, Alaskan fisheries replaced catch limits in 2005 with a cap-and-trade system that allows crab boat captains to divide each season's catch equally and then sell each other their shares. Catch shares now drive the earnings of Alaskan crab boat captains.

Shares

The more catch shares that captains own, the more crabs they can legally catch. Crab boat captains who lease their shares to other captains receive a one-time payment in return for the catch allowance. The crab boat captains who actually fish for crabs divide the catch's earnings with their crews; most captains take a large share such as 50 percent of total earnings. If the catch was worth $800,000, the captain earns $400,000.

Expenses

The captain is responsible for the boat's mechanical equipment and supplies as well as any repairs to the boat. These repairs may significantly reduce the crab boat captain's total salary. However, many captains pass on the expense of buying catch shares to their crews, whose earnings have not risen accordingly with captains' earnings.

Consequences

The catch-share program encourages crab boat captains to work together rather than compete. The decrease in competition has caused the danger of Alaskan crab fishing to decrease significantly, as captains no longer need to work for unsafe lengths of time and push their boats to the limits of their abilities. Fewer accidents and malfunctions mean fewer costly repairs, so the percentage of profitable earnings for captains has grown.

References

• Alaskan King Crab: Alaskan King Crab Fishing
• Alaskan Department of Fish and Game: 2009 Alaska Shellfish Harvests & Exvessel Values
• Alaska Business Monthly: Bering Sea Crabbers Back Catch Share Program in Five Year Review
• High Country News; The Most Cooked-up Catch; Matt Jenkins; 2009