Unalaska, AK – The Bristol Bay Red King Crab season is closing up later than usual this year. Fish & Game area management biologist Forrest Bowers said most boats usually finish up by November 15. This year, at least a quarter were still fishing through the beginning of December to catch the 20 million pound TAC. Now, only one of the 78 boats is still on the water trying for the last 75,000 pounds of TAC. Bowers said the catch rate dropped from 28 legal crab per pot last year to 22 this year.

"A little bit of a concern there but relative to the history of the fishery 22 legal crab per pot is still very good fishing it's just not quite as good as in 2006 and 2007," he said.

The average weight of the crab increased from about 6.5 pounds to 6.7. Bowers said the decrease in abundance but increase in weight kept the TAC stable at about 20 million pounds, which is unusual.

"What's more common would be quite a bit of volatility 10, 15, 20 percent change," he said. "Those changes are based on changes in abundance. Crab recruitment is highly variable due to things like predation and other environmental shifts."

This year's prices are better than last year's as well. The increase of about 81 cents per pound, from 4.19 to 5 dollars, means an increased fishery value from 85 million dollars last year up to 100 million this year.

Prices for Aleutian golden king crabs are also up. Fishermen are getting between $3 and $3.70 per pound. The eastern portion of the fishery is about 96 percent complete while about half of the TAC is still available in the West. That fishery remains open until mid-May.