Unalaska is finally seeing some financial relief nearly three years after the collapse of Alaska’s snow crab and red king crab fisheries.
The city has now officially secured more than $3 million in federal disaster money.
The City of Unalaska formally accepted the relief funds at its June 24 city council meeting. That officially adds the money to the city budget, but the move was mostly procedural.
Councilmember Shari Coleman, who’s been on the council since the city first braced itself for a shortfall in 2021, said the move was largely procedural.
“It’s just housekeeping to make sure that we have this all corrected in our financial reports,” she said.
The money comes from a federal disaster declaration covering several fishing seasons that saw little or no harvest after crab populations crashed in 2022, causing the first ever closure of the Bering Sea snow crab fishery.
Unalaska — the hub of one of the nation's busiest commercial fishing ports — is among the group of recipients of the $144 million federal disaster package. St. Paul, whose local economy is still suffering from ongoing crab closures, will also receive a chunk of that funding.
The ordinance passed unanimously. For now, the funding goes into the city’s general fund, and is expected to help offset lost revenue from reduced crab landings and support harbor operations.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will also help distribute portions of the funds to local permit holders, processors and crew — though how much will reach local recipients remains unclear.
