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The 2004 Bristol Bay season concluded after only 80 hours of fishing.
An estimated 15 million pounds of crab were landed by the fleet of roughly 313 boats. Unfortunately, the Pribilof blue king crab season did not open this year due to low stocks. The Bristol Bay crab (delivered live by the fishermen to coastal processors) has been cleaned & broken into clusters, cooked, and quick-frozen. Much of the crab this year was purchased by Japanese buyers, as frozen inventories in Japan were low with demand for red king crab remaining strong.
Red king crab are typically caught in large steel pots that are baited with chopped herring. The pots
measure 7'x 7'x 3' and weigh over 700 pounds- empty. The pots are set and retrieved using hydraulic launchers and large winches.
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