Bering Sea crabbers will see a boost in catch limits this season, after years of cancellations and small harvests due to low snow and king crab stocks.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ranks Dutch Harbor as the nation’s top port by volume. But, until recently, a shallow bar sat at the Iliuliuk Bay entrance, limiting access to the city’s bustling ports.

A crewmember on the F/V Halcyon died after sustaining an injury on board, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Unalaska could process St. Paul’s snow crab again next year, but officials won’t know for sure until October.Some fisheries specialists suspect there will be an increase in the total allowable snow crab catch limits, including Unalaska’s Natural Resource Analyst Frank Kelty. He said there may be more crab to harvest this upcoming season than last.“But I don't know if the increase is going to be enough that the operator up at St. Paul will want to operate again,” Kelty said at a recent Unalaska City Council meeting.

It took Alaska a year or so longer to get back to full employment levels than it did for the nation as a whole.

Meanwhile, Fish and Game is putting more restrictions on the fishery.

The city received federal relief last week after the 2021-22 king and snow crab collapses — funding that’s only now reaching local coffers.

Delayed federal funding has pushed the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to cancel travel and shift its October meeting online, raising concerns about long-term oversight.

In its most recent meeting, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council said that funding and scheduling concerns could delay final action on chum bycatch until April 2026. The potential delay has been criticized by those who say that chum salmon crashes across Western Alaska, especially on the Yukon River, require swift action.