APPENDIX III APPENDIX III 
In the dungeness crab fishery, regulations in all four 
States implement licensing fees, size limitations, sex limit- 
ations, and restrictions on form of gear or method of capture. 
Also in Alaska, California, and Washington seasonal time 
limitations are placed upon the fishery. 
In the king and tanner crab fisheries, regulations con- 
sisted of gear or method of capture restriction and licens-— 
ing requirements. Additional regulations, such as size and 
sex limitations and seasonal time limitations, were imposed 
upon the king crab fishery. 
Since king crab is a creature of the Continental Shelf, 
the United States assumes jurisdiction outside the 12-mile 
fishery zone. Exercising this power, the United States 
entered into bilateral executive agreements with Japan and 
the Soviet Union establishing conditions under which foreign 
fisheries could operate. Under these agreements, foreign 
catches have been gradually reduced. The Soviets have not 
fished the Eastern Bering Sea for king crab since 1971. The 
Japanese king crab quota for 1975-77 was reduced to 2.1 
million pounds annually, but they did not take any in 1975 
and have indicated they will not take any in 1976. Catch 
quotas have also been established under bilateral agreements 
for the foreign "tanner crab E£isherves. 
OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH AND 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE FISHERY 
Resource availability 
The concept of a maximum sustainable yield is probably 
of limited usefulness for an annual species, such as the blue 
crab, in which abundance is highly variable and does not 
appear to be closely related to the number of spawners or 
the annual catch. 
Because the blue crab is a short-lived species (2 to 3 
years), a low survival rate of 1 year-class can produce an 
almost immediate decrease in availability. Year-class 
size is determined in larval or early crab stages. Fall 
sampling of young crabs 1/2 to 2 inches wide provides data 
for estimates of adult abundance. 
In the Pacific, the king and dungeness crab fisheries 
are used intensively and are approaching their maximum sus- 
tainable yield. The tanner crab in the Eastern Bering Sea is 
the only Pacific coast species capable of expansion. Accord- 
ing to NMFS survey results, the tanner crab outlook is good 
because of its large populations. NMFS believes that the 
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