Alaskan King Crab

I realized last night as I was watching television how much working in government publications can affect your everyday outlook. For instance, I was watching a show on Alaskan King Crab fishing, and discovered that, because of regulations and weather, the fishing season for crabs can be a short as four days in length. Being a government publications librarian, I immediately wondered what those regulations were and who issued and enforced them. Turns out, the restrictions are handled by a complex mix of federal and state regulatory agencies. Here is a brief history of the situation from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Additionally, the Being Sea/Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Committee has several reports of interest at this site. Regulations affecting Alaskan King Crabs are available here.