Courtesy of ADFG

There will be one fewer fishery to go after when the Bering Sea crab harvest kicks off this month.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is shutting down the St. Matthew blue king crab fishery. This isn't the first time that St. Matt's crab has been declared off limits: It was previously shut down for a decade due to overfishing. 

The stock recovered enough to support a commercial harvest starting in 2009. And last year, fishermen took the entire quota of 1.6 million pounds. But recent surveys have shown that the crab are on the decline again, prompting the new closure.

All other Bering Sea and Aleutian Island crab fisheries are set to open on Oct. 15.