Unalaska, AK – Four days after the Bristol Bay red king crab season opened, the entire crab fishing fleet is finally on its way out of Dutch Harbor. Harvesting cooperative negotiators say they reached a resolution on king crab prices with the last two seafood processing companies earlier today.

Most of the crab fleet had been refusing to fish until processors raised the advance prices they were offering. The co-ops initially asked for $3.65 a pound for king crab, a price that only two of the seven major processors, Alyeska Seafoods and Westward Seafoods, agreed to in time for the start of the season on Sunday. The other five have now bumped their prices up to similar numbers. UniSea, Inc. and Icicle Seafoods were the last to do so, after talks with the co-ops this morning.

Greg White, who negotiated on behalf of the co-ops, says that a big part of the problem was that overseas buyers were slow in making offers to processors this year.

Processors either weren't available or declined to comment today on the price dispute.