Bering Sea snow crab opens Oct. 15 with a 5.1 million-pound catch

Bering Sea snow crab opens at noon on Oct. 15, 2026. An Alaska Department of Fish and Game advisory announcement dated Oct. 6 says the 2026 National Marine Fisheries Service trawl survey put total mature snow crab biomass above the level required to open the Bering Sea District. Fishing is in district waters west of 165° W longitude.

The total allowable catch is 5.1 million pounds: 4.59 million pounds of individual fishing quota and 510,000 pounds of community development quota. The Eastern Subdistrict, east of 173° W, closes at 11:59 p.m. May 15, 2027. The Western Subdistrict, west of 173° W, closes at 11:59 p.m. May 31, 2027.

In the directed snow crab fishery west of 165° W, Tanner crab quota may be kept up to 5 percent of the snow crab weight on board. In the directed eastern and western Bering Sea Tanner fisheries in those waters, snow crab quota may be kept up to 100 percent of the Tanner crab weight on board. A vessel may not be registered for more than one Bering Sea crab fishery at the same time.

A Pribilof Islands box stays closed to commercial king and Tanner crab pots, and to Pacific cod pots used for bait in these quota fisheries, to protect blue king crab. The box connects 58° N, 171° W; 58° N, 168° W; 57° N, 168° W; 56° 30′ N, 169° W; 56° 30′ N, 170° W; 57° N, 171° W; and back to 58° N, 171° W. ADF&G said a map of the closed statistical areas will be available at registration.

Registration is through the Dutch Harbor office. Someone holding a current Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission Bering Sea Tanner crab interim-use card, T91Q or T09Q, must be present. There is no snow crab pot limit and no buoy-tag requirement. Vessels may register up to 20 groundfish pots. A current Coast Guard commercial fishing vessel safety decal and an activated NMFS-approved vessel monitoring system are required before a registration is issued, and the operator must notify the Coast Guard at (206) 815-6842 at least 24 hours before leaving port with crab pots. Contacts on the announcement are Regional Shellfish Manager Mark Stichert, (907) 486-1842, and Acting Area Management Biologist Asia Beder, (907) 581-1239.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: ADF&G — Bering Sea Snow Crab Season Opens October 15 (PDF) (advisory announcement, Oct. 6, 2026).