Bering Sea crabbers buoyed by increased catch limits this season

Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game has set higher catch limits for the upcoming Bering Sea crab seasons, with the Bristol Bay red king crab and Tanner crab quotas both rising sharply year over year. The season for Bristol Bay red king crab, Bering Sea snow crab and Tanner crab opens Thursday. Bristol Bay red king crab total allowable catch increases to 3.4 million pounds, up more than 500,000 pounds from last year. Tanner (Bairdi) crab rises to 32.1 million pounds, including 27.2 million pounds in the western Bering Sea. Snow crab limits fall to 5.1 million pounds as stocks rebuild after the fishery shut in 2022.