FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 74, NO. 3 



the king crab fisheries, Japan and the USSR 

 formerly took arge quantities from the Bering 

 Sea, but the USSR has not fished since 1971 and 

 the Japanese catch is limited by bilateral treaty to 

 about 22 million pounds per year (D. E. Phinney, 

 pers. commun.). Alaska is the only North Amer- 

 ican jurisdiction with regulations for this 

 fishery. 



Conservation 



The following regulations serve the same pur- 

 pose as in the king crab fishery. Seasons prevent 

 fishing when crabs are soft shelled; fishing gear is 

 limited to traps, ring nets, and diving; harvest 

 levels help ensure enough males are left on the 

 grounds for breeding; females may not be taken; 

 and subsistence fishing is limited to 30 crabs per 

 day. Trap tunnel eyes must be less than 5 inches 

 high when the king crab season is closed to distin- 

 guish between snow and king crab traps and to 

 reduce the incidental catch of king crabs. 



Cone-shaped traps with a single top entrance 

 may be used for snow crabs in addition to the 

 rectangular king crab trap modified with a smaller 

 tunnel entrance. 



Location of Landings Among 

 Commercial Fishermen 



As in the king crab fishery, there are exclusive 

 (two) and nonexclusive (three) fishing areas. A 

 boat may register for either one exclusive area or 

 any number of nonexclusive areas. A boat must 

 have its hold inspected to validate its registration 

 and must report prior to landing its catch in an 

 area other than where it is fishing. There are also 

 trap limits for some areas. The rationale for these 

 is the same as in the king crab fishery. 



Stability of Landings 



Annual harvest levels by area dampen the effect 

 on landings of variable recruitment to commercial 

 size. 



Conflict Over Grounds or Resource 



As with the king crab fishery, foreign trawlers 

 have agreed to area closures and to use rollers on 

 trawls to restrict the incidental catch of snow 

 crabs. The trap sanctuaries for king crabs also 

 protect the snow crab fishery in many cases. 



Processing Economics 



The season within the hard-shelled period is set 

 for the convenience of fishermen and processors. 



Although there is no minimum size restriction, 

 most immature males are returned to the water on 

 the fishing grounds because they are too small to 

 be processed economically. 



Administration 



The regulations are similar to those for the king 

 crab fishery. 



West Coast Dungeness Crab 

 ( Cancer magister ) 



This is an old fishery with commercial exploita- 

 tion since at least 1917 (Cleaver 1949). Landings 

 are quite variable ranging from 14 to 60 million 

 pounds in the 1970's alone.'' The fishery operates 

 from southwest Alaska to central California over a 

 depth range of 1 to 20 fathoms.^ Only United 

 States and Canada fish this species. 



Conservation 



Closed seasons for the commercial fishery pro- 

 tect soft-shelled crabs in at least some areas of all 

 jurisdictions. Seasons also apply to the sport 

 fishery in California and ocean beaches in Oregon. 

 In addition to a season, Washington specifically 

 prohibits the landings of soft-shelled crabs: "A 

 soft-shelled crab is defined as a crab whose shell, 

 including covering of the legs, is not fully hard- 

 ened and said shell is flexible and depresses to 

 digital pressure!' This regulation has been upheld 

 in Washington courts. 



Females may be retained by commercial fisher- 

 men only in British Columbia and by sportsmen 

 only in California and British Columbia provided 

 they exceed the minimum legal size. They are 

 protected for breeding purposes (Alaska, 

 Washington, Oregon, California) and because of 

 processing considerations (Washington, Oregon). 



Traps left unattended for over 2 wk must have 

 bait removed and doors secured open as protection 

 against ghost fishing (Alaska). 



^Anon. 1974. Crab review. Fisheries and Fish Prod. Div., 

 Fisheries and Food Prod. Br., Dep. Industry, Trade, and Com- 

 merce, Ottawa, 83 p. 



'Anon. 1972. Pacific edible crab. Fishery Fact Sheet, 2 p. Dep. 

 Environ., Ottawa. 



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