Prior to 2005, Alaskan Crab fisheries had a total allowable catch limit, and fisheries closed for the season once an aggregate catch limit for all crabbing vessels was reached. This management strategy created incentives for fishing vessels to "race for crabs" to maximize their catch before the fishery closed. This race may have caused captains and crew to engage in risky behavior, such as fishing in bad weather. In 2005 the Alaskan Crab fisheries underwent a radical policy shift as the fishery became "rationalized" under the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program. The program divided the total allowable catch within the fishery among the harvesters, processors, and coastal communities through resource quota rights. The National Marine Fisheries Service argued that this change would reduce the "race for crab" and increase the safety of fishermen in the Alaskan Crab fisheries.
Using the policy change as an instrument, this project will quantify the extent to which occupational risk has been mitigated in the crab fisheries. Additionally, the investigators will use data on weather, sea conditions and a captain's decision to "put to sea" to estimate the "value of a statistical life" for crews in the crabbing industry. The results will improve our understanding of occupational risk and guide future policy decisions related to this and other U.S. fisheries. The estimated value of a statistical life will inform subsequent policy decisions in the fishing industry or any policy that involves trade-offs between the probability of individual death or injury and changes in societal welfare.
