Oct 17 2008
2008 Alaska (Bristol Bay) King Crab Season
King crab season opened on October 15th. Technically, there are several king crab seasons here in Alaska, but “Bristol Bay” is the big one. The target species is red king crab, which is the regarded among connoisseurs as the best of the 3 commercially-harvested species in Alaska.
The quota for 2008 is a healthy 20,354,000 pounds. Fewer than 100 boats are fishing for this quota this year, and the first deliveries are expected within 3 or 4 days of the season’s opening.
Buyers in Japan are showing strong demand for Alaskan king crab, and I predict that the majority of Alaska’s 2008 quota will be exported.
I am flying in a shipment of the season’s very first fresh-frozen Alaskan red king crab from Trident’s Saint Paul Island plant, on the Bering Sea. I am coordinating multiple shipments of fresh (never-frozen) king crab over the next few weeks. I am proud of the fact that FishEx brings the first crab to market- ahead of our competition.
The way things usually work in Alaska is that crab is processed at a number of plants on the Bering Sea. The majority of the quota is frozen, and after several weeks of accumulation, the bulk-frozen crab (in whole clusters) is shipped to Seattle, where it is checked-into various cold storage companies. After that, it is pulled-out and processed into cut “legs & claws” for distribution throughout the United States. The whole process generally takes several weeks. At FishEx, we shortcut this process by flying in our first shipment directly from the plant, and usually have crab “on the ground” in Anchorage only days after the season opens, and weeks ahead of our competition.
Buying Tip: Ask your local fishmonger when the king crab he/ she is selling was caught. You may receive an answer like “Oh, it’s from this season’s catch.” This should make you suspicious. Alaska’s main king crab season runs between October 15, 2008 and January 15th, 2009.
Both fresh, and a new season’s fresh-frozen king crab are notably superior to crab that has been in cold storage for a year or more. Whenever I inspect a case of crab, the first thing I do is to lean in close and inhale deeply. New crab has a distinct, sweet “crabby” smell that contrasts sharply with the “briny” smell of older crab.
Hoping to find a “Call-in” guest for my radio show, Sunday mornings 6:30 to 8:30 AM.
623-221-7655
Just wanted to comment on what you said about the smells of fresh frozen crab and old frozen crab. We live in Northern California and often buy King Crab — but are often dissappointed with the briny/old smell (and flavor). Today we received a lovely package from my Dad that included 1 lb. of your King Crab and 1 lb. of the medium scallops. When I opened the plastic that the legs were in, the first thing I did was take a deep, close smell of the legs and actually said aloud that they smelled fresh and sweet! Thank you for providing THE best King Crab meal we’ve ever experienced!!
Sorry for the long delay in getting back to you. I just got back from a family holiday trip.
I appreciate the comments you posted. Would you mind if I added them to the “Testimonials” of the FishEx website?
Also, we should be doing some fresh (never frozen) bairdi, or “giant snow crab” fairly soon. That’s actually my favorite crab. It’s not as large as king crab, but it has more flavor. I haven’t had it fresh since back in the days I was a deckhand on crab boats, so I’m really looking forward to the upcoming season.
Hello, this is my first contact with someone seaworker of Alaska, I am chief engineer (naval machinist) from Argentina, I would like to know if you can advice me about this kind of fishing, nowadays I am on a fishing vessel on south atlantic, fishing and frozen shrimps, I would like to go to Alaska to work as engineer on a ship, thank a lot. Matias Corazza.
Matias,
There are many opportunities for work here in Alaska.
One thing I know you will need to look into is a work permit for the United States.
There is some good information about commercial fishing work at http://www.labor.state.ak.us/ESD_ALASKA_JOBS/seafood.htm.
Other than that, the best I can tell you is that once you are cleared for working in the US, the best way to get a job on a boat is simply to go to a fishing port and “walk the docks”. That is the way I’ve gotten most of my deck jobs. After working in the industry for awhile, people get to know you, and jobs are a bit easier to come by. Alaska’s top fishing ports include Kodiak, Dutch Harbor, and Homer.
I hope that this is helpful.
-Cade
Hello, I recently tried alaskan king crab and loved it. I live in Hillsborough,North Carolina and would like to know where I can go to buy king crab that is fresh ot do you have a website to be able to order them. Please, I am very interested in buying it when the season gets here. Thank you for your time, Griselle
We are just getting into the Alaska’s primary king crab seasons, which always take place in the fall. Fresh golden king crab is available at FishEx right now, and fresh red king crab (from the Bristol Bay king crab fishery- Alaska’s largest) will be available from early October through mid-December.
You say that you get King Crab that has never been frozen. I thought the first thing done after unloading of the boats was to clean and freeze the crab because it spoils so rapidly, is this not true?
Actually, the reason that king crab has been only available frozen for so many years in the past is that it used to be a “derby-style” fishery, where boats competed with one another for a limited total available quota. All of the quota was caught and delivered in a matter of days, so all of the crab was frozen to preserve it.
Now, the season is open for several months, and fishermen can deliver their catch over the whole season. This has opened the door for a fresh market to develop. Held at the proper temperature, fresh crab lasts much longer than most people think, and is good for several days.
I used to fish crab, so fresh crab has really become a specialty for us here at FishEx.
If you’re interested, I wrote an essay about the end of the derby days a few years back, which ended up getting published by the Anchorage Daily News.
Anyway, I hope that I answered your question.