Financial relief is finally reaching Alaska fishermen, roughly four years after the crab crash hit the Bering Sea fleet.
The payments cover Bristol Bay red king crab and Bering Sea snow crab fisheries from the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons, when stocks collapsed and the fisheries remained closed.
The trade group Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers coordinated with harvesters, processors and communities to ask Gov. Mike Dunleavy to request a federal disaster declaration, which the U.S. Secretary of Commerce approved in May 2023.
Relief money started going out earlier this year, first for community members and seafood processors, and now for captains and crewmembers. But Jamie Goen, the executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, says fishermen should not have to wait years for relief.
"It needs to be within six months so that it's useful for these families that are trying to make monthly payments," Goen said. "Waiting four-to-six years to get your paycheck, that just doesn't work for most families."
Crab stocks have been recovering from the crashes a few years ago. The season that opened last month looks promising, but the rebound has been slow.
Dunleavy submitted another, separate disaster declaration for last season, which saw only minimal improvement from the previous year. ButGoen says the goal isn't more relief — it's a stable fishery.
"We want to be fishing," Goen said. "We don't want to be asking for fisheries disasters."
Eligible captains and crew have until the end of the year to apply for aid. Applications and information are available online.
Copyright 2025 KUCB
