91 



. . . Crab 



and LTPY with the 1971-90 average catch. 

 Alaska crabs can be designated as fully 

 utilized relative to yields of legal-sized 

 males. Since female crabs are not landed 



it seems likely that most crab stocks could 

 be designated as underutilized, in terms of 

 existing fishing mortality on the reproduc- 

 tive stocks. 



Shrimp and Sea Snail 



The U.S. fishery for shrimp in Alaska wa- 

 ters is at a low level. The western Gulf of 

 Alaska has been the main area of opera- 

 tion. During the 1970's, when the fishery 

 was more productive, 50-100 vessels 

 trawled for shrimp at Kodiak and along the 

 Alaska Peninsula. Five species of shrimp 

 contribute substantially to Alaskan land- 

 ings, of which the northern pink shrimp is 

 most important. 



Shrimp landings in the Gulf of Alaska 

 during 1960-90 (Fig. 20-3) show that 

 catches rose steadily to about 58,000 t in 

 1976 and then declined precipitously. 

 Since 1988, negligible amounts of shrimp 

 have been landed from western Alaska 

 waters. During 1960-90, the dockside 

 value of western shrimp fisheries averaged 

 $4 million annually and yielded a peak 

 value of $14 million in 1977. Shrimp 

 catches by the U.S.S.R. and Japan in the 



Bering Sea peaked at 32,000 1 in 1 963, and 

 gradually declined thereafter, until the fish- 

 ery ended in 1973. 



As with crabs, the potential yields of 

 Alaska shrimp stocks are not well under- 

 stood, and have been equated to recent 

 catches. Shrimp are managed by regulat- 

 ing the catch levels according to the level 

 of the stocks. In addition, spring "egg 

 hatch" closures are used to protect breed- 

 ing stocks. 



The Japanese fishery for snails, con- 

 ducted from about 1971 until ending in 

 1987, reached a peak of some 13,000 t in 

 1 974. Catches averaged about 4,800 t dur- 

 ing 1971-87. The snail stocks of the Bering 

 Sea are underutilized because they are cur- 

 rently not fished. RAY and CPY equal the 

 1985-87 average catch and LTPY equals 

 the 1971-87 average. 



Figure 20-3.— Shrimp landings 

 from the Bering Sea and Gulf of 

 Alaska, 1960-89, and snail 

 landings from the Bering Sea, 

 1972-87. 



