(Homer) - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced today the Cook Inlet and North Gulf Coast sport and subsistence Tanner crab fisheries season, gear, and limits for the 2023-2024 season. The “limited” Tanner crab fisheries will be open from October 1, 2023 through February 29, 2024 with a bag and possession limit of 3 legal sized male Tanner crab per person, an annual limit of 20, and gear limited to 1 pot or ring net per vessel.

Beginning September 18, permits will be available online only through the ADF&G store, located under the “Fishing & Shellfish Permits” tab.

The limited Tanner crab fishery provides harvest opportunity in years that the department trawl survey was not conducted, or if the abundance estimate of legal Tanner crab from the survey is less than the threshold for the larger standard fishery. No trawl survey was conducted in 2023.

“The limited fishery is structured to ensure that the harvest remains at less than 10% of the most recent legal sized male Tanner crab abundance,” said Assistant Area Management Biologist Holly Dickson. “We really appreciate permit holders’ efforts in recent years to report their harvest to help us monitor this fishery.”

Individuals are encouraged to obtain only the sport or the subsistence permit, not both. There is no benefit to having both permits because you may not retain two bag limits. The sport permit allows an individual to fish in all Cook Inlet and North Gulf Coast salt waters, while the area in which a subsistence permit can be fished is more restricted.

Each permit holder is responsible for reporting online by March 15, 2024, even if the permit holder did not fish. Individuals who fail to report online by March 15, 2024, WILL NOT be eligible for a permit the following year.

For additional information, please contact Area Management Biologist Mike Booz or Assistant Area Management Biologist Holly Dickson at (907) 235-8191.

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