Crabbers turn down new price point

Local processors could not be reached for comment, but the Pacific Seafood Processors Association, which is not involved in negotiating or setting prices, made this statement on behalf of the industry: “It seems helpful to understand that there is a larger global market for crab that the fishery is subject to,” said PSPA Vice President Nicole Kimball, who works out of Anchorage. “Kodiak processors are not the final market for crab and Alaska makes up less than 1% of the global supply.

“It’s been reported for a while that there is a large carryover inventory from last year, and there is more crab coming into the market shortly from other countries like Russia and Canada, that compete with Alaska crab, which slows demand. Alaska seafood processors are dependent on harvesters and the economic uncertainty affects all of us.”

Last year, crabbers received a record final price of $8.50 per pound for 1.8 million pounds of Tanner crab, which weighed 2.2 pounds on average. That brought more than $15.3 million into the pockets of local fishermen.

Kevin Abena of Kodiak, skipper of the F/V Big Blue and secretary and treasurer for the Kodiak Crab Alliance Cooperative, has said crabbers realize that such a high price is not realistic this season due to less favorable market conditions.

But he and other members of the cooperative have called the $2.50 price offer a “slap in the face for such an excellent crab product” — especially since smaller Tanner crabs from the Bering Sea are fetching a base price of $3.70 per pound from UniSea in Dutch Harbor.

Fishermen there also are guaranteed a retroactive boost for their 2 million pound crab harvest after sales are made. That will bring their final price to about $4 per pound.

Abena has said UniSea will take all the Tanners from Kodiak fishermen that it can get. Peter Pan Seafoods at King Cove also is negotiating for the crab that would be delivered by as many as 50 local boats.

Meanwhile, about 170 crabbers in Kodiak, the Alaska Peninsula and Chignik, which have an anticipated harvest of 7.3 million pounds of big bairdi Tanners, have been idle since the fishery opened last Sunday, with bait and food on board and tanks full of fuel.

The Kodiak Crab Alliance Cooperative’s next scheduled meeting is Friday evening, and the earliest they will be fishing is noon Sunday.

The Westward region’s combined Tanner crab catch this season is expected to be the largest since 1986. It also is now the largest crab fishery in Alaska due to the closures of the Bering Sea red king crab and snow crab fisheries.

The cooperative is now securing tenders to take the local crab to Dutch Harbor and potentially Peter Pan Seafoods. 

“It’s sad for the community that every bit of this crab could be walking out of town,” Abena said. “But we are not going fishing for $2.50 a pound.”

The Tanner crab fishery can remain open until March 31.