NOTE Hannah and Richmond Weight change in Pandalus jordani after harvesting 



805 



val of 1.9% to 2.5% (Table 1). Four of the seven trips 

 showed a statistically significant average weight loss 

 (P<0.05), whereas three did not. None of the trips showed 

 a gain in average weight of the shrimp samples, despite 

 ice deductions as high as 35% of the gross load (Table 2). 

 The average weight change for samples from indi- 

 vidual days and trips showed a large degree of vari- 



ability. Several of the regressions of percent weight 

 change versus elapsed time were statistically signifi- 

 cant (P<0.05); however, the sign of the slope coefficient 

 was inconsistent (Table 3). No consistent patterns were 

 observed between average weight loss and trip length, 

 total catch, or the percentage of ice in the load (Tables 

 1 and 2). The average weight loss observed in samples 

 which had been on ice for only a short period of time 

 (Table 1 and Figure 1), in combination with the sig- 

 nificant positive slope of several of the regressions, 

 suggests that commercially handled, iced pink shrimp 

 generally lose some weight very shortly after capture, 

 and, in many instances, slowly gain weight for some 

 time afterwards. However, the one regression with a 

 positive intercept and significant negative slope (Table 

 3, trip 2), in combination with the variability of aver- 

 age weight change (Table 1), demonstrate that weight 

 change of shrimp under actual commercial handling 

 and icing conditions is quite variable. The lack of a 

 truly consistent pattern of weight change versus 

 elapsed time suggests that Figure 1 may portray 

 shrimp weight change under actual commercial fishing 

 conditions as well as anything else presented. 



