Unalaska, AK – The number of vessels participating in the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery is slowly dwindling as the season enters its seventh week. Only a dozen were left as of Monday. This marks pace from the pre-rationalization days, where over 200 vessels fish week-long seasons. To mark the fifth anniversary of rationalization, the National Marine Fisheries Service has released a 598-page report on what exactly has changed since management protocol was overhauled.

The bulk of the report looks at the effect of rationalization on Alaskan communities. Kodiak and King Cove were among the communities that suffered the worst economic consequences of abandoning derby-style management. In Unalaska, the most severe impact has been on the support service sector, with marine supply and hardware businesses hurting the most. Public revenue has not declined noticeably. Consolidation of the crab fleet also had little effect on Unalaska, as the community is home to more processors than fishermen.

As far as consolidation of the fleet is concerned, more vessels could drop out if the total allowable catch continues to decline, says Forrest Bowers, a management biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

"This program allows fleet consolidation and efficiencies to take place that would improve the economic viability for the participants," says Bowers. "So I think if [total allowable catch] were to continue decreasing, then probably a response that we would expect to see would be further consolidation."

Safety was a major reason for the adoption of the current quota system, and it's addressed in a 10-page appendix. During the 1990s, over 70 people died in Alaska's crab fisheries. Though mortality began to decline when the Coast Guard and ADFG began conducting at-dock safety checks in 1999, the report says that rationalization has further increased safety by reducing fatigue and by resulting in more experienced crews. In the past decade, 10 people have died in these fisheries.