Unalaska, AK – It's that time of year again in Dutch Harbor--the 2006-2007 season for most of the Bering Sea crab fisheries opens at noon on Sunday.

Eighty-nine vessels are registered for Bristol Bay red king crab this season and similar numbers for bairdi and opilio crab. That's the same number of crab boats as last year, when crab rationalization took effect and individual fishing and processing quotas replaced the legendary derby in the Bering Sea. But it's barely a third of the number of boats that fished for red king crab in 2004, and a study by University of Alaska economics professor Gunnar Knapp that was released in May estimated that more than 1,200 fishing jobs were lost in the transition to a rationalized fishery.

Even among the fishermen who were able to keep their jobs, there's still plenty of discontent with rationalization.

"It's just another way for these politicians to line their pockets," said Vince Thomason, who fishes on the Katie K. "I even quit the union--there's no point in it. We don't have control over anything anymore."

Fishermen are also working with a smaller total allowable catch than last season. The red king crab TAC is about 15 percent lower than it was in 2005-2006, at 15.5 million pounds, and the opilio crab TAC is down about 2 percent at 36.6 million pounds.

But even with fewer boats and fewer crab, some new fishermen were still able to find their way into the Bering Sea crab business. Ed Green is fishing his first king crab season this fall on board the Maverick, where he's worked since June doing tendering and longlining. He's worked other fisheries for the past eight years, and said king crab will be a new challenge.

"I've been Dungeness fishing on the Oregon coast for the past eight years," he said. "It'll be a little bit different, but it's exciting. It's a lot bigger pot. You can get hurt in many different ways."

Crab season opens at noon on Sunday. Tank checks begin at noon on Saturday.