The Unalaska Bay tanner crab fishery opened Wednesday at noon for the first time in several years. Six boats are registered for the fishery. Fish and Game biologist Britta Baechler says that’s five more than last year, when the tanner crab fishery was in Makushin Bay, on the other side of the island.

“Typically when there’s a fishery in Unalaska Bay, the participation increases because you’re not required to have the recirculating seawater that keeps the crab alive when you’re further away from the plants that you’re going to deliver at.”

The Unalaska Bay fishery is restricted to the hours of 8am - 6pm, and each boat is limited to 42 pots. Fishermen have 35,000 pounds of tanner crab to harvest, which could take anywhere from a days to a few weeks, depending on fishing effort and weather, among other things.