THE BERING SEA CRAB COOPERATIVE
A BS/AI crab harvesting cooperative

Cooperative Summary
The Bering Sea Crab Cooperative is a non-profit corporation operating under the Alaska Cooperative Corporation Act and the Fishermen’s Collective Marketing Act. The Cooperative has been formed to receive an allocation of BS/AI King and Tanner crab IFQ and to allocate that IFQ among its members. The Bering Sea Crab Cooperative is a “flow through” cooperative – members have the right to harvest the IFQ they bring to the Cooperative, are responsible for any costs, etc., incurred in harvesting that IFQ, and voting rights in the cooperative are based on each member’s quota share holdings.

The Bering Sea Crab Cooperative provides a vehicle by which members may assign their catch quota to another member of the Cooperative or to members of other BS/AI crab harvesting cooperatives. This permits consolidation of catch and more efficient utilization of existing harvesting capacity. Membership in the Cooperative also relieves members from some of the IFQ use caps.

Any crab fisherman that holds BS/AI King or Tanner crab quota shares issued by NMFS can apply for membership in The Bering Sea Crab Cooperative. However, because the Cooperative is an “unaffiliated” cooperative, prospective members must meet the criteria of the Fishermen’s Collective Marketing Act and may not hold PQS, IPQ, or be affiliated with anyone who does (per the “affiliation” standards described in the BS/AI King and Tanner crab rationalization regulations).

Join Us

If you are interested in joining The Bering Sea Crab Cooperative, you will be required to complete a membership application and submit that application to the Cooperative’s Board of Directors for approval.

Learn More »