Unalaska, AK – The 2006 Aleutian golden king crab season opened at noon Tuesday. There are fewer boats participating than last year, and they won't be getting as much for their troubles: processors are paying a dollar less per pound than they did last year.

UniSea Inc., whose Dutch Harbor processing plant takes more Aleutian goldens than anyone else, has posted a price of $1.65 a pound. That's down from $2.69 last season, and it's barely half of what goldens went for five years ago.

The falling prices are largely a result of an upswing in the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery. While the Aleutian golden harvest has stayed fairly stable over the past decade at 5 to 6 million pounds annually, the Bristol Bay red harvest grew from about 8 million pounds in 2000 to more than 18 million pounds last year. Buyers generally prefer red king crab, and with more than enough of it on the market, the golden price is sagging.

Six vessels are registered for the Aleutian fishery this season, two less than last year. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has set a total allowable catch of 5.7 million pounds, which is harvested in the western Aleutians between the Islands of the Four Mountains and Attu Island. The season is expected to run through mid-spring.