Alaskan king crab fishing is carried out during the winter months in the waters off the coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. The commercial harvest is performed during a very short season, and the catch is shipped worldwide.

In Alaska, three species of king crab are caught commercially: the red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus, found in Bristol Bay, Norton Sound, and the Kodiak Archipelago), blue king crab (Paralithodes platypus, St. Matthew Island and the Pribilof Islands), and golden king crab (Lithodes aequispinus, Aleutian Islands).

The red king crab is the most prized of the three for its meat. A fourth variety of king crab, the scarlet king crab, is too small and rare to be commercially viable, even though its meat is considered sweet and tasty.

The most popular crabbing months are October and January. The season for each crab can be very short — the season for red king crab is currently four days, having been reduced repeatedly in previous years. In the winter 2005–2006 season, 250 boats caught 14 million pounds of red king crab in four days.