On February 20, 2020 Kawerak submitted a letter the the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, requesting their consideration to close the commercial king crab fishery due to low stock. The content of the letter is below, or you can download Kawerak Commercial Crab Letter to ADFG
Photo: Subsistence Crab, Sandy Tahbone, Courtesy of Kawerak Subsistence Program
KAWERAK LETTER TO ADF&G
Dear Chairman, Marisky and Board of Fish Members
Kawerak is in support of closing the Norton Sound King Crab Commercial Fishery for all season. Kawerak’s role here in Norton Sound is to advocate for subsistence uses such as catching king crab for our subsistence needs.
Recent efforts by subsistence crabbers to catch king crab here in Norton Sound have not been met. When there is sufficient shore fast ice both in thickness and distance from shore we place crab pots thru the ice to catch king crab. Reports from subsistence crabbers trying to catch king crab this winter has been very slow to non-existent. Most of the subsistence crabbers are pulling their pots because the time and work involved in checking a pot without catching crabs is very disheartening. Our lack of catching king crab correlates with the reporting data provided by the ADF&G Commercial King Crab fishery that yielded no commercially caught crab and had to shut down due to poor catching reports. See King Crab Graphs and Data. We also read the letter sent from NNSAC Chairman Charlie Lean demanding that there be no commercial king crab fishery until stocks rebound enough to yield a commercial fishery. We fully support the content of the letter and ask that the ADF&G; Board of Fish do the same. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Melanie Bahnke, President
KAWERAK, INC.
