12 r- 



11 



10 



9 



o 



•- u> 8 



x m 





19S2» / 



l'J45» 1'J-I4» V, 



J_ 



J_ 



»I961 



► tybtl 



■ * lb c J 



ty6b 



_i_ 



_u 



a_ 



J 



13 



14 15 16 17 18 19 



Figure 12-5. 



2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 



NUMBER OF TRAPS (X10 5 ) 



Correlation of lobster catch (thousands of metric tons) and number 

 of traps fished (hundred thousands) in Maine for 1897 to 

 1976 (Maine Department of Marine Resources 1977). 



commercial aquaculture. Although this species has been raised to adulthood in 

 the laboratory, large-scale aquaculture is impractical. The aggressiveness of 

 the species requires that each lobster be raised in an individual container, 

 feeding is expensive, and lobsters are more susceptible to disease in culture 

 than in the natural environment. 



ROCK CRAB ( Cancer irroratus ) and JONAH CRAB ( Cancer borealis) 



A small commercial crab fishery in Maine is supported by the rock crab and the 

 Jonah crab. Most Maine fishermen commonly refer to C. borealis as the rock 

 crab and to C. irroratus as the sand or mud crab. Both species are 

 brachyurans, or true crabs, and may reach a size of 2.3 inches (60 mm) at 

 maturity (Krouse 1976). Females tend to be smaller than males. Although 

 neither species has been studied extensively, more information is available on 

 the life cycle and habits of the rock crab than of the Jonah crab. 



Distribution and Abundance 



These 2 species of crab range from Labrador to Florida (TRIGOM 1974) . The 

 rock crab is the more abundant of the two in the intertidal zone of coastal 

 Maine and may be found from low water to 1980 feet (600 m) . The Jonah crab 

 may be found from the shallow subtidal zone to a depth of 2640 feet (800 m) 

 (Gosner 1971). The major areas of harvest of crabs in coastal Maine are in 



12-18 



