Critical habitat for ovigerous Dungeness crabs
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Abstract
The Dungeness crab, Cancer magister, supports an important fishery in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, yet there is limited knowledge of ovigerous female brooding locations and brooding behavior. Our earlier research suggests that ovigerous crabs aggregate at the same brooding locations for many years. Within these locations, ovigerous females occur in high densities, with the majority of the aggregation buried within the sediment. These locations often have similar water depths and sediment types and appear to be critical for this life history stage. Our study was designed to examine the bathymetric distribution of Dungeness crabs in bays with and without sea otters at eight locations within the Glacier Bay area by conducting transects with a video-equipped manned submersible. Two of the bays investigated contained large aggregations of ovigerous females. At both sites the substrate was composed primarily of sand. However, only a small percentage of the 33 km of transects were classified as sand. These data suggest that sand substrate may be a limiting resource. Since crab brooding aggregations represent a large portion of the crab population within a small area, and because they are a critical component of Dungeness life history, areas with these characteristics need to be investigated, mapped, and protected from development or exploitation. The areas requiring protection from the impact of anthropogenic wastes, fishing, and logging activities could be quite small, thus limiting conflict with alternative users.
| Publication type | Conference Paper |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Conference Paper |
| Title | Critical habitat for ovigerous Dungeness crabs |
| ISBN | 1-56612-068-3 |
| DOI | 10.4027/spmmp.2001 |
| Year Published | 2001 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | University of Alaska Sea Grant College Program |
| Contributing office(s) | Alaska Science Center |
| Description | 15 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Book |
| Larger Work Subtype | Conference publication |
| Larger Work Title | Spatial processes and management of marine populations |
| First page | 431 |
| Last page | 445 |
| Public Comments | Part of University of Alaska Sea Grant College Program Report No. AK-SG-01-02 |
| Conference Title | 17th Lowell Wakefield Symposium: Spatial Processes and Management of Marine Populations |
| Conference Location | Anchorage, AK |
| Conference Date | October 27-30, 1999 |
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