Crab Rationalization is a program to share the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands crab resources between harvesters, processors, and Alaska’s coastal communities in an effort to better balance fishing capacity to the crab resources and to improve safety in one of the world’s most dangerous jobs.
The Crab Rationalization Program (Program) was developed at a time when snow crab stocks were nearing a collapse and overcapacity in the crab fisheries had resulted in a frenzied race for crab. Harvesting and processing capacity had expanded to accommodate highly abbreviated seasons, and significant portions of that capacity were economically inefficient. At industry’s urging, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council developed the Program over a 6-year period (1999-2005) to accommodate the specific dynamics and needs of the crab fisheries. The Program addressed the race for fish, high bycatch and associated discard mortality, safety, economic efficiency, and product quality issues.