Southeast Alaska’s commercial red king crab fishery will open Nov. 1 after stock assessments revealed the highest red crab populations in decades.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has announced a regionwide guideline harvest level of 211,573 pounds for the 2025/2026 season, exceeding the 200,000-pound threshold required for a traditional competitive commercial fishery.

The biomass numbers and the available surplus for harvest came as somewhat of a surprise to fishery managers and fishermen who had been preparing for a different type of season under the new individual catch limits regulations.

“We were more conservative with our harvest rates this year than we were last year,” said Adam Messmer, the department’s regional shellfish biologist. “Even being more conservative with our harvest rates, we still hit the 200,000 pounds.”

The fishery represents significant economic opportunity for Southeast Alaska’s coastal communities. Red king crab can bring more than $100 each, and the last commercial opening in 2017 generated about $1.3 million at the docks for roughly 120,000 pounds caught.

Current stock assessments show legal biomass at its highest level since 2003, while mature biomass — including crab soon to reach legal size — hasn’t been this high since 1997, according to Messmer.

Messmer is optimistic about what the increased mature biomass means for the next few seasons, “We are still seeing quite a few crab that are a bit under legal size that are moving toward the fishery.”

Earlier this year, the Alaska Board of Fisheries approved changes proposed by the department that would allow smaller, more conservative commercial fisheries when red crab stocks fall below the traditional 200,000-pound threshold.

The individual catch limit system was designed to provide opportunity during lower abundance years while maintaining biological sustainability. Under that system, the total allowable catch would be divided among the fishery’s 59 permit holders, with area-specific management to prevent overharvesting.

The red king crab opening comes as welcome news for Southeast communities after a dismal salmon season that Petersburg fisherman Jared Bright described as “the worst odd-year salmon harvest” he’s seen.

With a majority of red king crab permits concentrated in Petersburg, the community stands to benefit significantly from the upcoming fishery. Bright estimated that even with conservative assumptions about average catches and dock prices, the fishery could inject hundreds of thousands of dollars into the economy.

The upcoming season will be managed similarly to past competitive openings, with daily catch reporting required from fishermen. As harvest levels approach area-specific quotas, managers will announce closures with advance notice.

Some areas may operate under predetermined time limits. The Juneau area, which holds about 25% of the region’s red king crab population, has special allocations where 60% of harvestable surplus goes to personal-use fisheries and 40% to commercial harvest.

The last commercial red king crab opening in Southeast Alaska was in 2017. Prior to that, there had been only one commercial season in over a decade.

“We’re trying to get away from” having fisheries only every few years, Messmer said, noting the new regulations and the conservative harvest rate aims to provide more consistent opportunities while maintaining sustainable populations.