Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program

History

The Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Crab Rationalization Program (CR Program) was proposed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in June 2004 to allocate crab resources among harvesters, processors, and coastal communities for nine BSAI crab fisheries. To implement a provision of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004 (Public Law 108–199, Sec. 801), which required NOAA Fisheries to approve the CR Program as it was adopted by the Council, in 2005 NOAA Fisheries implemented Amendment 18 and Amendment 19 to the BSAI King and Tanner Crab Fishery Management Plan. Fishing under the CR Program began in 2005.

Participation

Under the CR Program, NOAA Fisheries originally issued quota shares (QS) to eligible harvesters as determined by eligibility criteria and participation in the Crab Rat fisheries during qualifying years. Each year, a person who holds QS receives individual fishing quota (IFQ), which is an exclusive harvest privilege for a portion of the annual total allowable catch (TAC). QS holders can form cooperatives to pool the harvest of the yearly IFQ on fewer vessels to minimize operational costs and to provide additional flexibility in harvesting operations. NOAA Fisheries also issued processor quota share (PQS) under the CR Program. Each year, PQS yields an exclusive privilege to receive (for processing) a portion of the IFQ in each of the nine CR Program crab fisheries. This annual exclusive processing privilege is called Individual Processing Quota (IPQ).

Resources

• Applications/Forms and Reporting Forms
• Reports
  • Permits, Cooperative IFQ and Quota Share Issued
  • Program Management Reports
  • Landing Reports
• Monitoring and Reporting
  • eLandings - Report a landing for IFQ/CDQ crab
  • eFISH - Check crab account/vessel balances, pay cost-recovery fees, make an ex-vessel volume and value report, transfer IPQ or inter-cooperative IFQ, submit out-of-state IFQ landings, print annual permits, view landing ledger reports (IFQ/IPQ and RCR), quota share holdings reports, and processor quota share holdings reports
  • Recordkeeping and Reporting
• Cost Recovery Fee Payment (due July 31)
  • Fee Percentage Notices 
• Right of First Refusal Contract Terms (PDF)
• Crab Rationalization Program Frequently Asked Questions and Small Entity Compliance Guide (PDF)

Regulations and Management Actions

• Federal Register Rules/Notices
• BSAI King and Tanner Crabs Fishery Management Plan and Amendments
• Analyses
• Statute establishing BSAI Crab Rationalization Three-Pie Cooperative Program (SEC. 417)
• 50 CFR Part 680: Shellfish Fisheries of the EEZ Off Alaska  
• Regulations, Acts, Treaties, and Agreements
• Figures, Maps, Boundaries, Regulatory Areas, and Zones

More Information

• Restricted Access Management (RAM) Division
• BSAI Crab Fisheries
• North Pacific Fishery Management Council Crab Plan Team
• Fishing Capacity Reduction Program for the BSAI King and Tanner Crab Fisheries
• Catch Share and Limited Access Programs
• Federal Fisheries in Alaska