Impacts of Rationalization on Exposure to High Winds in Alaska’s Crab Fisheries

Objectives: Safety at sea is an often overlooked aspect of well-being that fisheries management actions can affect, even when management actions are not intended to affect safety. Catch shares management has been associated with longer fishing seasons and a decline in the intensity of competition among fishers. This study assesses changes in exposure of Alaska’s commercial crab fisheries to relatively high-risk weather conditions after rationalization, or catch shares management, was implemented.

Methods: We compare the rates of fishing in high-wind conditions in the Bristol Bay red king and the Bering Sea snow/tanner crab fisheries pre- and post-rationalization. We also compare results to a portion of the crab fishery that did not undergo the same change in management.

Results: The rate of high wind fishing in the snow/tanner crab fishery fell post-rationalization, but increased in the red king crab fishery.

Conclusion: When the red king and snow/tanner crab fisheries are considered together, rationalization led to longer seasons and improved flexibility to choose when to fish according to weather conditions. The snow crab fishery experienced a marked decline in higher-risk fishing after rationalization. Results are contrary to expectations for the king crab fisherybecause the flexibility in trip timing provided by the program produced a shift in their season toward winter months when average wind speeds are higher.