2005 Alaska Crab Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Report
May 21, 2005
The annual stock assessment and fishery evaluation (SAFE) report is a requirement of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP), and a federal requirement [50 CFR Section 602.12(e)]. The SAFE summarizes the current biological and economic status of fisheries, guideline harvest levels (GHL), and analytical information used for management decisions or changes in harvest strategies. The report is assembled by the Crab Plan Team with contributions from the State of Alaska, Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and is available to the public and presented to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) on an annual basis. Additional information on Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) king and Tanner crab is available on the NMFS web page at www.fakr.noaa.gov and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Westward Region web page at www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region4/rgn4home.htm.
The FMP defines the minimum stock size threshold (MSST) and the maximum fishing mortality threshold (MFMT). These requirements are contained in the FMP and outlined in the following section, overfishing parameters. MSST is 50% of the mean total spawning biomass (SB = total biomass of mature males and females, also known as TMB = total mature biomass) for the period 1983-1997, upon which the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) was based. A stock is overfished if the SB is below MSST. MFMT is represented by the sustainable yield (SY) in a given year, which is the MSY rule applied to the current SB (the MSY control rule is F = 0.2 for king crabs, and F = 0.3 for Tanner and snow crabs). Overfishing occurs if the total allowable catch (TAC) exceeds the SY in one year. TACs are developed from joint NMFS and ADF&G assessment of stock conditions based on harvest strategies developed by ADF&G. Figures 1-6 depict each crab stock’s spawning biomass and catch history relative to overfishing.
The Plan Team for the King and Tanner Crab Fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
With Contributions by F. Bowers, W. Donaldson, B. Failor-Rounds, A. Gilson, S. Goodman, K. Granath, J. Greenberg, G. Harrington, M. Herrmann, S. Hughes, C. Lillo, G. Merrill, R. Otto, D. Pengilly, L. Rugolo, M.S.M. Siddeek, J. Soong, B. Stevens, D. Stram, B. J. Turnock, I. Vining, D. Witherell, and J. Zheng
Additional Resources
- Shellfish Assessment Program
- Shellfish Assessment Program Resources
- Alaska Crab Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Reports
- North Pacific Groundfish Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Reports
- 1998-2012 North Pacific Groundfish Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Reports
- Economic Status Reports for the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands
- Alaska Crab Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Reports
- Ecosystem Research in Alaska