Alaska crabbers will have IFQ permits by Friday

Alaska crabbers could start fishing as soon as Friday as employees for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) returned to work Thursday after being furloughed 16 days during the United States government shutdown.

Julie Speegle, spokeswoman for NOAA, told IntraFish Thursday all of the individual fishing quota (IFQ) permits will be handed out to approved vessels “by the end of the day Friday.”

“We are working as rapidly as we can … our goal is to have the permits issued by the end of this week,” she said.

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