Bering Sea Fisheries Research Foundation
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Seasonally, scientists have been tracking the mini Seasonally, scientists have been tracking the minimum and maximum ice extent in the Arctic, with the minimum extent occurring in September and the maximum extent in March. In the Bering Sea, the sea ice drives important processes such as plankton bloom timing, and impacts species distribution.This is a snap shot of the ice extent over the past 10 years, highlighting the variability. Our Red King crab survey (Cooperative Pot Sampling) is conducted in March in Bristol Bay but we were forced to call it off this year as our survey area was covered by ice! 2026 marked a 30 or so year record ice extent. Who knows what we’ll see next year! #arctic #marineresearch #beringsea #fisheriesscience #alaska
Fun facts from our crab sampling crew on the OPS1 Fun facts from our crab sampling crew on the OPS1 survey! From ocean temperatures to trawls vs. pots, there’s always something interesting to learn out on the water 🦀🌊#beringsea #marinescience #oceanresearch #fishing #alaska
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2026 C Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2026 Crab Science Symposium! 🦀 We’re grateful to all the researchers, managers, industry members, and guests who came together to share knowledge, ask questions, and connect.A special thank you to Blue Ocean Gear, Marine Service and Supply, Time-Zero, Ocean Data Network, and Superior Glove for joining us and highlighting your products and technology.Thanks for making this year’s symposium a great one, we’ll see you next year! 🦀#marinescience #crab #crabresearch #beringsea #alaskafisheries
Anyone else find this moment satisfying? 🦀 #berin Anyone else find this moment satisfying? 🦀#beringsea #crab #marinescience #snowcrab #satisfying
A look at fieldwork in the Bering Sea! Our crab bi A look at fieldwork in the Bering Sea! Our crab biologists are collecting data, examining crab, and documenting observations that help advance our understanding of Bering Sea crab populations and their life histories. Here's a few snapshots with the biologists!#beringseafisherman #lifeatsea #fieldwork #crabresearch #crab
Meet the vessels supporting crab research at sea: Meet the vessels supporting crab research at sea: the Pacific Mariner, and the Confidence! #marineresearch #crabscience #crabs #Alaska #BeringSea
🦀 Join us for the 2026 Crab Science Symposium! 🦀 🦀 Join us for the 2026 Crab Science Symposium! 🦀BSFRF and ABSC invite industry professionals, researchers, managers, and others interested in crab science to join us for a day of presentations, discussion, and hands-on ocean technology demonstrations!📍 Attend in person or virtually💬 Q&A + roundtable discussion🌊 Ocean technology demonstrationsWe hope to see you there!#marinescience #crabsurvey #oceanbiology #crabresearch #science
Life at sea 🦀🌊 Sampling crab aboard the Vesteraale Life at sea 🦀🌊 Sampling crab aboard the Vesteraalen! #BeringSea #FisheriesResearch #MarineScience #CrabResearch #AlaskaFisheries
Attention! The Annual Crab Science Symposium is Attention! The Annual Crab Science Symposium is coming up soon! Come join us at Leif Erikson Hall on Friday, September 18th for a morning of talks on current crab research followed by an open table discussion and pizza.Our symposium directly follows the September Crab Plan Team. Keep a look out for the finalized agenda coming soon!#alaskafisheries #alaskacrab #beringsea #marinescience #crabresearch
Our 3 fishing vessels, F/V Vesteraalen, F/V Pacifi Our 3 fishing vessels, F/V Vesteraalen, F/V Pacific Mariner, and F/V Confidence are setting out on the Bering Sea this month to conduct the Opilio Pot Survey! #AlaskaFisheries #snowcrab #BeringSea #oceanscience #marineresearch
August 2026 marks the first year of the multi-year August 2026 marks the first year of the multi-year Opilio Pot Survey (OPS1), a cooperative effort with our NMFS and ADF&G research partners to better understand snow crab recovery following the 2020–2021 stock collapse.Using pots and research trawls, we’ll sample across the northern Bering Sea and deeper western waters to study snow crab distribution, depth, temperature, and maturity. Follow along for a behind-the-scenes look at the survey in action!#snowcrab #alaskafisheries #beringsea #oceanscience #marineresearch
Think you know your crab? Swipe through to discove Think you know your crab? Swipe through to discover a few surprising facts about snow and Tanner crabs: from how they grow to why different crabs mature at different sizes!#crabs #didyouknow #funfact #oceanlife #naturefacts
The OPS1 RFP for Vessel Selection has been extende The OPS1 RFP for Vessel Selection has been extended until June 17th, 2026 Please see the full RFP for charter requirements and study details for OPS1 on bsfrf.org
BSFRF is seeking to charter two vessels to complet BSFRF is seeking to charter two vessels to complete a first, seasonal, high-priority Bering Sea crab research project focused on Bering Sea snow crab (BSS). The research will be conducted onboard two Bering Sea crab vessels using commercial opilio crab pots to complete sampling over the primary opilio grounds to improve the understanding of seasonal crab distribution. The research is part of ongoing collaborative crab research between BSFRF, NOAA, and ADF&G.Open Period:May 27, 2026, through June 9, 2026 (23:59 pm PDT)Expected Charter Start Date:August 1-5, 2026 [some flexibility on start date, vessels should specify their earliest available start date]Charter Term:25-28 days, charter begins on departure day and ends on return day, total term may changePlease see the full RFP for charter requirements and study details for OPS1 on bsfrf.org.There will be a QA Zoom session to help answer any questions on Tuesday 6/2 @ 4 pm PDT.
Last week, the North Pacific Fishery Management Co Last week, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Crab Plan Team met to review assessment details and current research meant to provide management advice for Bering Sea crab fisheries. But what kind of data are they looking at? Fisheries management considers information from multiple data sources.Over the coming weeks, we'll dive deeper into each of these data types and show how collaborative research between BSFRF, NOAA, and industry partners informs sustainable crab management in the Bering Sea. 🦀Follow along to learn more about the building blocks of science-based fisheries management!#crabscience #fisheriesresearch #beringseacrab #SustainableFisheries #marinescience #collaborativeresearch #BSFRF #alaskafisheries #data
Summary: BSFRF is seeking to charter two vessels t Summary:BSFRF is seeking to charter two vessels to complete a third, seasonal, high-priority, Bering Sea crab research project focused on Bristol Bay red king crab (BBRKC). The research will be conducted on board two Bering Sea crab vessels using commercial king crab pots to complete sampling over the primary BBRKC grounds to improve the understanding of seasonal crab distribution. The research is part of ongoing collaborative crab research between BSFRF, NOAA, and ADFG.Open Period:January 7, 2026, through January 21, 2026 (23:59 pm Pacific Standard Time)Expected Charter Start Date:March 12-13, 2026Charter Term:22-25 days, charter begins on departure day and ends on return day, total term may changePlease see the full RFP on our website for charter requirements and study details for CPS3! #crabresearch #beringseacrab #alaskancrab #fieldworkresearch @alaskacrabbers @adfg.crab.research @noaafisheries
Two BSFRF field projects funded by disaster relief Two BSFRF field projects funded by disaster relief, focusing on red king crab in the spring and snow crab in the summer, are planned for 2026.For those interested in getting involved, visit our website, bsfrf.org, for information about the upcoming request for proposals (RFP).The first project RFP, focusing on Bristol Bay red king crab, will be released on January 7th, 2026.If you have any questions, please contact us on our website bsfrf.org#beringsearesearch #alaskacrab @alaskacrabbers
'Tis the season to be crabby! 🦀✨ Wishing you warm 'Tis the season to be crabby! 🦀✨Wishing you warm holidays from all of us at BSFRF. We're grateful for another year of collaborative research in the Bering Sea and looking forward to what 2026 brings.See you in the new year!#HappyHolidays #CrabResearch #BSFRF #BeringSea #beringseacrab @alaskacrabbers @adfg.crab.research @noaafisheriesalaska @noaafisheries
How do you tag a king crab? Tagging helps us trac How do you tag a king crab?Tagging helps us track seasonal movement patterns, growth rates, and habitat use, and BSFRF has been working with NOAA Fisheries to tag red king crab since 201,9 using several tag types depending on the research question:Floy tags (pink spaghetti tags) have unique IDs. When fishers catch a tagged crab, they report the tag number and location, providing long-term movement and growth data.Acoustic tags (gray cylindrical) emit ultrasonic signals detected by underwater receivers, tracking fine-scale movements without recapture. These tags have a 1-3 year battery life. In previous years, we've used Saildrones to listen for them across Bristol Bay.Satellite tags (crab in harness) pop off at a pre-programmed date and transmit data via satellite. Because crabs are benthic, we don't get real-time tracking, like you would when a whale surfaces. Instead, we only collect release and pop-up locations, plus temperature data collected along the way. Staggered release times provide insights into movement patterns at different times of year. The harness prevents molting, likely killing the crab. This is an unfortunate trade-off, but the information we collect is invaluable for informing the science required for robust management. Floy and acoustic tags are inserted through the abductor muscle (which holds the shell in place), so they're retained even when red king crab molt, which they do throughout their lives.Every tagged crab represents a vital data point that informs our understanding of red king crab distribution and supports North Pacific fishery management.📸: M. Heller-Shipley#redkingcrab #crabtagging #beringsea #alaskafisheries #crabresearch #fisheriesscience #seasonalmovement #bsfrf
Winter fashion in the Bering Sea🎩❄️ This female Ta Winter fashion in the Bering Sea🎩❄️This female Tanner crab (Chionoecetes bairdi) was caught rocking a sea anemone hat during our survey work.Turns out epibiotic relationships can be both fascinating and fashionable!📸: M. Heller-Shipley#tannercrab #beringsea #bsfrf #crabfashion #crabresearch
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