Meeting Abstract
Found in coastal and shelf waters along the Atlantic coast of North America, from Newfoundland to Florida, Jonah crab Cancer borealis have been captured as incidental bycatch in the New England lobster industry for over 80 years. In the last 20 years however, Jonah crabs have become an alternative fishery target and landings have more than quadrupled. This has necessitated evaluation of the current status and prospective long-term health of the fishery. The biological implications of harvesting Jonah crab through the live removal of claws remain mostly unknown. The goal of this ongoing research is to evaluate current harvest practices (claw removal) and the implications on the health and behavior of Jonah crabs. Preliminary results from laboratory trials (n = 232 total crabs) suggest that double-claw removal incurs markedly more mortality (~74 %) compared with single-claw removal (~56 %) and control animals (~19 %). Physiological stress, assessed through concurrent haemolymph analyses suggest elevated levels of glucose and lactate in de-clawed crabs. Continued studies on behavior (feeding) and growth are ongoing in an effort to better understand Jonah crabs and manage this rapidly developing fishery in New England waters.
