Crab
Season Delayed Due to Government Shutdown
By FBWorld Team
"While
we recognize that your agency will be facing a significant
backlog of work as a result of the government shutdown,
we respectfully urge you to make this a top priority,
and expedite the issuance of the IFQ and the IPQ so the
fishing season can begin as soon as possible."
The
retail value of the Alaska king crab season is worth more
than $400 million annually, representing a major source
of economic activity for the Northwest's seafood industry.
The delay in the start of the 2013 season threatens the
industry's ability to export to the lucrative Asian holiday
market.
"Missing
the Asian market when it is in peak demand could result
in a price decrease by as much as 20-30%, which means
millions of dollars in lost value," continued the
delegation. "This would be a crippling loss for the
industry and to the thousands of men and women whose livelihood
depends on the king crab season."
In
addition to the disruption to the overall market for the
seafood industry, the delay of the fishing season has
affected fishing boats that are incurring costs daily
as they sit tied up to Dutch Harbor unable to begin their
catch. Every day the boats are idled costs each vessel
in the fishing fleet about $1,000 for food, fuel, insurance
and maintenance.
On
October 11, 2013, Keith Colburn, captain of the Alaska
crab-fishing vessel Wizard, testified
before the Senate Commerce Committee and explained
that, "We have been racking up bills getting ready
to go fishing. If we're tied to the docks waiting for
the government, we can't pay those bills. I'm a small
businessman in a big ocean with big bills. I need to go
fishing".
The
full text of the letter can be found below.
The
Honorable Penny Pritzker
Secretary
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20230
Dear Secretary Pritzker,
As the federal government resumes normal operations, we
write to bring your attention to an urgent request regarding
the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands crab fishery. The crab
season, which was scheduled to begin on October 15th,
has been delayed because the National Marine Fisheries
Service employees who issue the Individual Fishing Quota
(IFQ) and the Individual Processing Quota (IPQ) have been
furloughed during the shutdown. While we recognize that
your agency will be facing a significant backlog of work
as a result of the government shutdown, we respectfully
urge you to make this a top priority, and expedite the
issuance of the IFQ and the IPQ so the fishing season
can begin as soon as possible.
As you know, this fishery is worth hundreds of millions
of dollars to fishermen in the Pacific Northwest, many
of whom depend on the red king crab season to support
their businesses and families. However, more than 80 boats
remain docked in Dutch Harbor and cannot begin fishing
legally without the issuance of the necessary quotas.
The delay in the fishing season could potentially prevent
the industry from exporting to the vital Asian holiday
market when demand is at its highest and most lucrative.
While the fishermen have until January 15th to catch their
shares, any delay to their season means the crabs may
not reach the Asian market in time, as the catch needs
to be frozen, packaged, and exported by mid-November at
the very latest. Missing the Asian market when it is in
peak demand could result in a price decrease by as much
as 20-30%, which means millions of dollars in lost value.
This would be a crippling loss for the industry and to
the thousands of men and women whose livelihood depends
on the king crab season.
In addition to the effects on the market, fishing boats
are incurring costs of roughly $1,000 per day while sitting
tied to the docks as a result of moorage fees, fuel, and
food expenses to feed the crew. Processors face empty
facilities and an idle labor force that still has to be
housed and fed while not bringing in any revenue.
Again,
we respectfully urge you to expedite, by any means possible,
the issuance of the necessary quotas so that the Bering
Sea/Aleutian Islands crab fishing season can begin with
as little a delay as possible. Thank you for your time
and for your careful consideration of this request.
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