APPENDIX III APPENDIX III 
CRABS 
Crab fisheries are found on the Atlantic, gulf, and 
Pacific coasts of the United States. On the Atlantic and 
gulf coasts, blue crab is the predominant species landed. 
Blue crab is a common inhabitant of rivers, sounds, and 
nearshore waters of the Atlantic coast from New Jersey to 
Florida, and along the gulf coast to Texas. The Pacific 
coast consists primarily of three crab species: the king, 
tanner or snow, and dungeness. The king and tanner crabs are 
caught off Alaskan shores, and the dungeness crab is caught 
off nearly the entire Pacific coast, from western Alaska to 
Santa Barbara, California. 
The Chesapeake Bay area, is the center of the Atlantic 
blue crab fishery. In 1973, 64 percent of the total crab 
landings in the Atlantic Coast States, excluding Florida 
came from this area. In 1974 about 80 percent of the blue 
crab landings in the gulf came from Florida and Louisiana. 
Alaska led the Pacific coast crab catch with over 90 percent 
of the landings and 83 percent of the value in 1975. Alaska 
also led the Nation in volume and value of the crabs landed 
ti e975: 
In 1973 the Atlantic blue crab fishery ranked third in 
volume: and seventh in value among fisheries along the At- 
lantic coast. In 1972 the gulf blue crab fishery ranked 
fourth in volume and sixth in value among fisheries along 
the gulf coast. Along the Pacific coast, the crab fishery 
was third in value in 1972; a volume ranking was unavailable. 
Other crabs found along the Atlantic and gulf coasts are 
the stone crab and the red crab. However, because the blue 
crab is the predominant species landed on the Atlantic and 
gulf coasts, our discussion will center on the blue crab 
fishery. 
The stone crab is found along the South Atlantic and 
gulf coasts, and is widely used for food in areas where it is 
plentiful. In the Gulf States, the commercial stone crab 
fishery is limited to Florida. In 1974 this fishery accounted 
for 21 percent of the value, but only 5 percent of the weight 
of all Gulf State crab landings.- 
Red crab, a deep sea animal found from Nova Scotia to 
Brazil, primarily supports a small fishery in southern New 
England. No fishery exists in the Gulf of Mexico although 
crabs are taken as an incidental catch in the shrimp and 
bottomfish fisheries. No biomass estimates for red crab 
exist, but NMFS plans to develop this data. NMFS biologists 
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