Snow crab statistics show a fishery rebuilding after severe declines, alongside measurable improvement in parts of the Bering Sea. NOAA Fisheries describes Alaska snow crab as overfished but still rebuilding, and says it was not subject to overfishing based on 2024 catch data. The figures below keep survey years, fishing years, regions, and estimates separate so that biomass, abundance, management, and habitat are not confused.
Contents
- Current status and management
- Fishery seasons and quota
- 2025 biomass and population
- Where snow crab were found
- The 2022 biomass decline
- Survey catch and size groups
- Economic response to closures
Current status and management
NOAA Fisheries reports that Alaska snow crab are overfished but rebuilding, while not being subject to overfishing according to 2024 catch data. The rebuilding plan has a target date of 2029. These classifications apply to Alaska snow crab management and should not be read as a statement that every survey area or life stage has the same condition.
The commercial Alaska snow crab fishery was closed during fishing years 2022 and 2023. NOAA Fisheries also reports that there were no commercial landings in 2024 because the commercial fishery was closed. The fishing year runs from July 1 through June 30, so a fishing-year label does not necessarily match a calendar year.
The current three-S management system permits harvest of only male crabs that meet the applicable size requirements. Community development quota groups may receive 10% of the harvest, and observers are required on 20% of vessels in the fishery. NOAA Fisheries says Alaska snow crab can live for up to 20 years, adding a long biological time frame to a rebuilding target that extends through 2029.
NOAA Fisheries identifies the species as Chionoecetes opilio, in the family Oregoniidae. It reports that Alaska snow crab are found in the Bering, Beaufort, and Chukchi Seas and typically live in water less than 650 feet deep. Males can reach 6 inches in shell width, while females seldom grow larger than 3 inches. Females can carry up to nearly 100,000 eggs.
Fishery seasons and quota
For the 2024/25 season, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported a Bering Sea District total allowable catch of 4,720,000 pounds. Of that amount, 4,248,000 pounds were Individual Fishing Quota and 472,000 pounds were Community Development Quota.
| 2024/25 Bering Sea District allocation | Pounds |
|---|---|
| Total allowable catch | 4,720,000 |
| Individual Fishing Quota | 4,248,000 |
| Community Development Quota | 472,000 |
Source: ADF&G, “Bering Sea Snow Crab Season Opens October 15”.
ADF&G reported that the 2024/25 fishery opened at noon on October 15, 2024, in Bering Sea District waters west of 165° W longitude. The eastern Subdistrict closed at 11:59 p.m. on May 15, 2025, and the western Subdistrict closed at 11:59 p.m. on May 31, 2025. The opening and closing dates therefore span two calendar years within one fishing season.
The same ADF&G report said the 2024 mature snow crab biomass estimate was above the threshold required to open the fishery. That threshold statement is a management condition, not a total biomass value, and it does not replace the separate regional biomass estimates reported by NOAA for 2025.
The 2024/25 rules also specified limits for retaining other crab. In the directed Bering Sea snow crab fishery, Tanner crab IFQ or CDQ could be retained up to 5% of the weight of snow crab onboard. In the eastern and western Bering Sea Tanner crab fisheries, snow crab IFQ or CDQ could be retained up to 35% of the weight of Tanner crab onboard.
2025 biomass and population
NOAA’s 2025 Northern Bering Sea community report gives separate estimates for the eastern Bering Sea shelf and the northern Bering Sea. The eastern Bering Sea shelf had an estimated snow crab biomass of 518,124 metric tons and a population of 7.2 billion individuals in 2025. The northern Bering Sea had an estimated biomass of 131,886 metric tons and a population of 4.6 billion individuals.
| Region, 2025 | Biomass | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Bering Sea shelf | 518,124 t | 7.2 billion |
| Northern Bering Sea | 131,886 t | 4.6 billion |
Source: NOAA, “2025 Northern Bering Sea community report”.
NOAA reported that eastern Bering Sea snow crab biomass increased 52% from 2024 to 2025. In the northern Bering Sea, biomass increased 15% from 2023 to 2025. These are different comparison periods, so the two percentages should not be treated as a single regional trend or compared as if they measured the same interval.
Biomass and population are related but different measures. Biomass is reported in metric tons, while population is reported as individuals. A population estimate can change because of the number and size of crabs, whereas biomass also reflects the weight represented by those animals. The 2025 report supplies both measures for each named region, but it does not establish that the estimates can be added into one statewide total.
Where snow crab were found
The 2025 NOAA report recorded snow crab at 198 of 350 eastern Bering Sea stations, or 56.6% of stations. In the northern Bering Sea, snow crab were present at 101 of 137 stations, or 73.7%. Station presence describes the share of surveyed locations where crab were detected; it is not the same as the share of the seabed occupied or the share of the total population.
NOAA reported different depth and temperature ranges for the two regions:
| 2025 survey measure | Eastern Bering Sea | Northern Bering Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom depth | 44–177 m | 19–79 m |
| Bottom temperature | -1.4–4.7 °C | -1.4–11.6 °C |
| Surface temperature | 3.3–9.3 °C | 4.9–16.3 °C |
| Stations with snow crab | 198 of 350 (56.6%) | 101 of 137 (73.7%) |
Source: NOAA, “2025 Northern Bering Sea community report”.
The eastern Bering Sea observations covered bottom depths from 44 to 177 meters. Bottom temperatures ranged from -1.4 to 4.7 °C, and surface temperatures ranged from 3.3 to 9.3 °C. The northern Bering Sea observations covered 19 to 79 meters, with bottom temperatures from -1.4 to 11.6 °C and surface temperatures from 4.9 to 16.3 °C.
NOAA reported the highest snow crab concentration in 2025 on the eastern Bering Sea middle shelf, extending from the Pribilof Islands north to St. Matthew Island. This location description identifies where the highest concentration was observed in that report; it is not a forecast of future concentration.
The 2022 biomass decline
Earlier NOAA survey results provide a separate snapshot of mature and legal male snow crab biomass in 2022. Mature male biomass was 20,403 metric tons, while mature female biomass was 20,941 metric tons. NOAA said the mature male estimate was 22% lower than in 2021 and the mature female estimate was 33% lower than in 2021.
NOAA reported 2022 legal male snow crab biomass of about 33,447 metric tons. It said that figure represented a 44% decline since 2021 and was less than one-third of the previous 20-year average of about 110,299 metric tons. Because the legal-male estimate and the mature-male estimate describe different categories, they should not be substituted for one another.
| 2022 snow crab measure | Reported value |
|---|---|
| Mature male biomass | 20,403 mt |
| Mature female biomass | 20,941 mt |
| Legal male biomass | About 33,447 mt |
| Previous 20-year average legal male biomass | About 110,299 mt |
Source: NOAA, “Preliminary Survey Results 2022 Eastern Bering Sea Crab Survey”.
The same NOAA survey placed the 2022 mature male biomass for all commercial crab stocks at 64,894 metric tons, 11% above the record low from 2021. For the broader all-stock series, NOAA said mature male biomass fell from about 300,000 metric tons to below 100,000 metric tons in the mid-1980s, later increased to nearly 500,000 metric tons in the early 1990s, and leveled out around 200,000 metric tons between 2005 and 2015. Those figures cover all commercial crab stocks, not snow crab alone.
The 2022 survey also reported comparison values for other Bering Sea crab stocks. Tanner crab east of 166° W had approximately 6,450 metric tons of legal male biomass and 8,725 metric tons of mature male biomass. Tanner crab west of 166° W had approximately 5,131 metric tons of legal male biomass. St. Matthew Island blue king crab had 1,467 metric tons of legal male biomass, while Pribilof Islands blue king crab had 111 metric tons of legal male biomass and 145 metric tons of mature female biomass. These figures provide context for the survey but are not snow crab measurements.
Survey catch and size groups
The 2022 Northern Bering Sea Ecosystem and Surface Trawl Survey Cruise Report used beam-trawl catch-per-unit-effort measures for three snow crab groups. Average CPUE for snow crab smaller than 15 mm was 15,099 individuals per square kilometer. Average CPUE for female snow crab at least 15 mm was 5,196 individuals per square kilometer, and average CPUE for male snow crab at least 15 mm was 6,063 individuals per square kilometer.
| 2022 northern Bering Sea beam-trawl group | Average CPUE |
|---|---|
| Snow crab under 15 mm | 15,099 n/km² |
| Female snow crab at least 15 mm | 5,196 n/km² |
| Male snow crab at least 15 mm | 6,063 n/km² |
Source: NOAA, “Northern Bering Sea Ecosystem and Surface Trawl Survey Cruise Report, 2022”.
The report also gave total catches from the 2022 northern Bering Sea beam trawl. The under-15-mm group totaled 276 individuals weighing 0.421 kg. The group of females at least 15 mm totaled 97 individuals weighing 0.354 kg. The group of males at least 15 mm totaled 112 individuals weighing 0.515 kg.
These catch totals are sample results, while CPUE is standardized by surveyed area. Neither should be read as the total number of snow crab in the northern Bering Sea. The size threshold is also explicit: the survey separates crabs below 15 mm from female and male crabs at or above 15 mm.
Economic response to closures
ADF&G reported a $39.5 million Bering Sea snow crab disaster relief fund for 2023/24. It also reported a $94,489,726 disaster allocation for the 2021/22 Bristol Bay red king crab and Bering Sea snow crab fisheries, and a $96,621,465 allocation for 2022/23.
| ADF&G disaster funding measure | Amount |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 Bering Sea snow crab relief fund | $39.5 million |
| 2021/22 Bristol Bay red king crab and Bering Sea snow crab allocation | $94,489,726 |
| 2022/23 Bristol Bay red king crab and Bering Sea snow crab allocation | $96,621,465 |
Source: ADF&G, “2023/24 Bering Sea Snow Crab Fishery Disaster Relief Fund”; ADF&G, “Federal Fishery Disasters”.
ADF&G said the 2023/24 Bering Sea snow crab disaster determination was made on April 29, 2024, following a request dated December 8, 2023. The dates describe the administrative timeline, while the dollar figures describe funding allocations or a relief fund. They do not measure snow crab biomass, landings, or market value.
Together, the management, survey, and funding figures show why snow crab statistics need careful labels. A 2025 regional biomass increase can coexist with an overfished status, a closed commercial season, and a rebuilding target. Quota, station presence, CPUE, population, biomass, and disaster funding each answer a different question about the Alaska snow crab fishery.