QL
155
.
S63
no.
82­
11.121
c
M?
mfY
N&
mwI
Wetlands
Research
Center
u
S,
Plrh
and
WildlIfe
Service
&.
I
C@
ndomc
Boulevard
Lar$
yette,
La.
70506
Biological
Report
82(
11
.121)
TR
EL­
82­
4
December
1989
Species
Profiles:
Life
Histories
and
Environmental
Requirements
of
Coastal
Fishes
and
Invertebrates
(
Pacific
Southwest)

DUNGENESS
CRAB
.,.

:.
.
.
.
:
.
.
r
`.
.*

.
.
.
*
.
:
.
c.
.
.

Fish
and
Wildlife
Service
Coastal
Ecology
Group
Waterwavs
ExDeriment
Station
U.
S.
Department
of
the
Interior
U.
S.
Army
Corps
of
Engineers
Biological
Report
82
(
11.121)
TR
EL­
82­
4
December
1989
Species
Profiles:
Life
Histories
and
Environmental
Requirements
of
Coastal
Fishes
and
Invertebrates
(
Pacific
Southwest)

DUNGENESS
CRAB
bY
Gilbert
B.
Pauley,
David
A
Armstrong,
Robert
Van
Citter,
and
G.
L.
Thomas
School
of
Fisheries
and
Washington
Cooperative
Fishery
Research
Unit
University
of
Washington
Seattle,
WA
98195
Project
Officer
David
Moran
U.
S.
Fish
and
Wildlife
Service
National
Wetlands
Research
Center
1010
Gause
Boulevard
Slidell,
LA
70458
Performed
for
Coastal
Ecology
Group
Waterways
Experiment
Station
U.
S.
Army
Corps
of
Engineers
Vicksburg,
MS
39180
and
U.
S.
Department
of
the
Interior
Fish
and
Wildlife
Service
Research
and
Development
National
Wetlands
Research
Center
Washington,
DC
20240
This
series
may
be
referenced
as
follows:

U.
S.
Fish
and
Wildlife
Service.
1983­
19
.
Species
profiles:
life
histories
and
environmental
requirements
of
coastal
fishes
and
invertebrates.
U.
S.
Fish
Wildl.
Serv.
Biol.
Rep.
82(
11).
U.
S.
Army
Corps
of
Engineers,
TR
EL­
82­
4.

This
profile
may
be
cited
as
follows:

Pauley,
G.
B.,
DA
Armstrong,
R.
Van
Citter,
and
G.
L.
Thomas.
1989.
Species
profiles:
life
histories
and
environmental
requirements
of
coastal
fishes
and
invertebrates
(
Pacific
Southwest)­­
Dungeness
crab.
U.
S.
Fish
Wildl.
Serv.
Biol.
Rep.
82(
11.121).
U.
S.
Army
Corps
of
Engineers,
TR
EL­
82­
4.
20
PP­
PREFACE
This
species
profile
is
one
of
a
series
on
coastal
aquatic
organisms,
principally
fish,
of
sport,
commercial,
or
ecological
importance.
The
profiles
are
designed
to
provide
coastal
managers,
engineers,
and
biologists
with
a
brief
comprehensive
sketch
of
the
biological
characteristics
and
environmental
requirements
of
the
species
and
to
describe
how
populations
of
the
species
may
be
expected
to
react
to
environmental
changes
caused
by
coastal
development.
Each
profile
has
sections
on
taxonomy,
life
history,
ecological
role,
environmental
requirements,
and
economic
importance,
if
applicable.
A
three­
ring
binder
is
used
for
this
series
so
that
new
profiles
can
be
added
as
they
are
prepared.
This
project
is
jointly
planned
and
financed
by
the
U.
S.
Army
Corps
of
Engineers
and
the
U.
S.
Fish
and
Wildlife
Service.

Suggestions
or
questions
regarding
this
report
should
be
directed
to
one
of
the
following
addresses.

Information
Transfer
Specialist
U.
S.
Fish
and
Wildlife
Service
National
Wetlands
Research
Center
NASA­
Slidell
Computer
Complex
1010
Gause
Boulevard
Slide&
LA
70458
or
U.
S.
Army
Engineer
Waterways
Experiment
Station
Attention:
WESER­
C
Post
Office
Box
63
1
Vicksburg,
MS
39180
.
.
.
111
CONVERSION
TABLE
Metric
to
U.
S.
Customary
Multiply
BY
0.03937
0.3937
3.281
0.5468
0.6214
0.5396
To
Obtain
millimeters
(
mm)
centimeters
(
cm)
meters
(
m)
meters
kilometers
(
km)
kilometers
square
meters
(
m')
square
kilometers
(
km2)
hectares
(
ha)
inches
inches
feet
fathoms
statute
miles
nautical
miles
10.76
square
feet
0.3861
square
miles
2.471
acres
liters
(
1)
0.2642
cubic
meters
(
m3)
gallons
35.31
cubic
feet
cubic
meters
0.0008110
acre­
feet
milligrams
(
mg)
0.00003527
ounces
grams
(
g)
0.03527
ounces
kilograms
(
kg)
2.205
pounds
metric
tons
(
t)
2205.0
pounds
metric
tons
1.102
short
tons
kilocalories
(
kcal)
Celsius
degrees
("
C)
3.968
1.8
("
C)
+
32
U.
S.
Customary
to
Metric
25.40
2.54
0.3048
1.829
1.609
1.852
British
thermal
units
Fahrenheit
degrees
inches
inches
feet
(
ft)
fathoms
statute
miles
(
mi)
nautical
miles
(
nmi)

square
feet
(
ft")
square
miles
(
mi2)
acres
millimeters
centimeters
meters
meters
kilometers
kilometers
0.0929
square
meters
2.590
square
kilometers
0.4047
hectares
gallons
(
gal)
3.785
liters
cubic
feet
(
ft3)
0.0283
1
cubic
meters
acre­
feet
1233.0
cubic
meters
ounces
(
02)
28350.0
milligrams
ounces
28.35
grams
pounds
(
lb)
0.4536
kilograms
pounds
0.00045
metric
tons
short
tons
(
ton)
0.9072
metric
tons
British
thermal
units
(
Btu)
0.2520
kilocalories
Fahrenheit
degrees
("
F)
0.5556
("
F
­
32)
Celsius
degrees
iv
CONTENTS
Page
PREFACE
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CONVERSION
TABLE
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FIGURES
ACKNOWLI%
MI&%
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NOMENCLATUREKAXONOMYjRANGE
...............................
MORPHOLOGY/
IDENTIFICATION
AIDS
...............................
REASON
FOR
INCLUSION
IN
SERIES
.................................
LIFE
HISTORY
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Mating
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Eggs
and
Fecundity
................................................
Larvae
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Juveniles
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Adults
GRO_
CtitiRIStiCS.
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THEFISHERY
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Commercial
Fishery
...............................................
Sport
Fishery
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ECOLOGICAL
ROLE
ENVIRONMENTAL
RE&
IR&&
N%
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Temperature
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Salinity
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Temperature­
Salinity
Interactions
......................................
Substrate
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REFERENCES
.
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111
iv
vi
vii
113
4
4
4
5
7
8
8
9
9
12
12
12
12
13
13
14
15
.

V
FIGURES
6
7
8
Dungeness
crab
.
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.
.
1
Distribution
of
the
Dungeness
crab
in
California
.
.
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.
2
Abdominal
differences
between
female
and
male
Dungeness
crabs
.
.
.
.
.
3
Life
cycle
stages
of
the
Dungeness
crab
.
.
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6
Mean
carapace
width
of
male
and
female
crabs
from
central
California,
1977­
1980
.
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9
Dungeness
crab
landings
by
season
for
Pacific
Coast
states
and
the
Province
of
British
Columbia
.
.
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.
10
Dungeness
crab
landings
for
central
and
northern
California
.
.
.
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.
.
.
11
Egg­
brooding
periods
of
the
Dungeness
crab
at
various
laboratory
seawater
temperatures
.
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13
vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We
thank
Vali
Frank
for
her
assistance
with
the
graphics.
We
gratefully
acknowledge
the
review
of
this
manuscript
by
Paul
Dinell,
Fisheries
Research
Institute,
University
of
Washington,
Seattle,
and
David
Somerton
of
the
National
Marine
Fisheries
Service.
Partial
support
for
David
Armstrong
to
acquire
and
analyze
some
of
the
original
data
to
produce
this
report
was
provided
by
Washington
Sea
Grant.

vii
Figure
1.
Dungeness
crab.

NOMENCLATURE/
TAXONOMY/
RANGE
Scientific
name
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Cancer
magister
Dana
Preferred
common
name
.
.
.
Dungeness
crab
(
Figure
1)
Other
common
names
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Pacific
edible
crab,
edible
crab,
market
crab,
commercial
crab
Class
.
.
.
.
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Crustacea
Order
.
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.
Decapoda
Infraorder
.
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.
Brachyura
Family
.
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.
.
.
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.
.
.
.
.
.
Cancridae
Geographic
range:
Coastal
waters
along
the
west
coast
of
North
America
from
Unalaska
Island
in
the
north
to
Mexico
in
the
south
(
Schmitt
1921;
MacKay
1943;
Butler
l%
la;
Mayer
1973).
The
species
ranges
from
the
intertidal
zone
to
a
depth
of
at
least
180
m
and
inhabits
substrates
of
mud,
mud
with
eelgrass
(
Zostera
sp.),
and
sand
(
Schmitt
1921;
Butler
1956;
Butler
1961;
Stevens
1982).
The
distribution
of
the
Dungeness
crab
in
the
Pacific
Northwest
and
the
ports
of
major
commercial
landings
are
shown
in
Figure
2.

MORPHOLOGY/
IDENTIFICATION
AIDS
Dorsal
and
ventral
anatomy
of
Cancer
crabs
were
illustrated
by
Warner
(
1977).
The
following
morphology
and
identification
aids
were
taken
from
Rudy
and
Rudy
(
1979).
Size
(
type
specimen):
carapace
120.7
mm
long
x
177.8
mm
wide.
Color:
beige
to
light
brown
with
blue
trim
and
hue,
darkest
anteriorly,
often
light
orange
below,
sometimes
light
gray­
purple
below;
inner
sides
of
anterior
feet
and
hands
crimson,
fingers
not
dark.
Eyes:
eyestalks
short,
orbits
small.
Antennae:
antennules
folded
lengthwise:
antenna1
flagella
short,
more
or
less
hairy.
Carapace:
broadly
oval,
uneven
but
not
1
RANCISCO
San
Joaquin
0
Commercial
`
1
landing
ports
\
\

2.
v.
5
III
.
f..
f..

y_.
y.::
Coastal
distribution
present
in
commercial
numbers
It
Conception
"\
,

\
N
DIEGO
m­­­­­­
v­____.
?&
LOS
ANGELES
Coastal
distribution
not
present
in
commercial
numbers
Figure
2.
Distribution
of
the
Dungeness
crab
in
California.

2
highly
sculptured;
granular;
widest
at
10th
tooth,
no
rostrum.
Frontal
area:
narrow
with
five
unequal
teeth,
not
markedly
produced
beyond
outer
orbital
angles;
middle
tooth
largest,
more
advanced
than
outer
pair;
outer
pair
form
inner
angles
of
orbit.
Teeth:
(
anterolateral
10,
counting
orbital
tooth;
widest
at
10th
tooth,
which
is
large
and
projecting;
all
teeth
pointed,
with
anterior
separations.
Posterolateral
margins:
unbroken,
entire,
without
teeth,
meet
antero­
lateral
margins
with
distinct
angle.
Abdomen:
narrow
in
male,
broad
in
female
(
Figure
3).
Chelipeds:
fingers
not
dark;
dactyl
spinous
on
upper
surface;
ftied
finger
much
deflexed;
hand
with
six
carineae
on
upper
outer
surface;
wrist
(
carpus)
with
strong
inner
spine.
Walking
legs:
rough
above;
broad
and
flat
(
especially
propodus
and
dactylus
of
last
pair).
Juveniles:
antero­
lateral
and
posterolateral
margins
meet
at
a
distinct
angle;
carapace
widest
at
10th
tooth;
postero­
lateral
margin
entire;
carpus
of
cheliped
with
single
spine
above,
fingers
light
colored;
carapace
not
as
broad
as
adults.

The
red
rock
crab,
Cancerproductus,
also
has
10
antero­
lateral
teeth;
frontal
teeth
are
unequal.
However,
this
species
differs
from
C.
magkter
in
that
the
frontal
area
is
markedly
pronounced
beyond
outer
orbital
angles,
cheliped
fingers
are
black,
and
the
carapace
is
widest
at
eighth
antero­
lateral
tooth.
It
attains
a
width
of
7
inches.

The
rock
crab,
Cancer
antennatius,
like
C.
productzq
is
dark
red
with
black­
tipped
chelae,
is
widest
at
the
eighth
tooth,
but
is
redspotted
on
its
ventral
surface.
It
attains
a
width
of
about
13
cm.
Cancer
oregonensis
(
Oregon
Cancer
crab)
is
a
small,
oval
crab
with
12
antero­
lateral
teeth.
Both
the
slender
crab
(
Cancer
gracih)
and
Cancer
jordani,
two
rather
uncommon
species,
have
nine
antero­
lateral
teeth;
C.
gracilis
rarely
exceeds
a
width
of
8
cm.
The
yellow
crab,
Cancer
anthonyi,
which
is
found
south
of
Humboldt
Bay,
has
large
smooth
claws
with
black
tips,
is
yellowish­
brown
with
a
wash
of
purple
anteriorly,
has
9
antero­
lateral
spines
and
attains
a
width
of
15
cm.
Identification
keys
to
the
genus
Cancer
were
prepared
by
Kozloff
(
1974)
and
Carlton
and
Kuris
(
1975).

REASON
FOR
INCLUSION
IN
SERIES
The
Dungeness
crab
supports
a
valuable
commercial
and
sport
fishery
along
the
west
Figure
3.
Abdominal
differences
between
female
(
left)
and
male
(
right)
Dungeness
crabs.
Only
males,
which
possess
a
slender
abdomen,
may
be
kept
by
sport
and
commercial
crabbers.

3
the
worm
on
Dungeness
crab
eggs
was
over
55%
in
1974­
79
when
worm
densities
were
about
14
per
1,
OfKl
eggs
(
Wickham
1979b).

Eggs
hatch
in
2
to
3
months
(
Cleaver
1949;
Orcutt
1978;
Wild
1983).
The
hatching
season
commonly
shortens
from
north
to
south
along
the
Pacific
coast.
Eggs
hatch
in
coastal
waters
from
December
to
June
in
British
Columbia,
but
considerably
later
in
Queen
Charlotte
Islands
(
MacKay
1942;
Butler
1956),
from
January
to
April
in
Washington
(
Cleaver
1949;
Armstrong
et
al.
1981),
from
December
to
April
in
Oregon
(
Reed
1%
9;
Lough
1976),
from
January
to
early
March
in
northern
California
(
Wild
1983),
and
commonly
from
late
December
to
early
February
in
central
California
(
Wild
1983).

Larvae
Larvae
emerge
as
prezoeae
and
molt
to
zoeae
within
about
1
h,
but
the
prezoeal
period
varies
with
salinity
(
Buchanan
and
Milleman
1969).
The
larvae
progress
through
five
zoeal
stages
before
molting
into
megalops
(
Figure
4;
Poole
1966;
Reed
1969;
Lough
1976).
In
central
California,
first
stage
zoeae
appear
between
mid­
December
and
early
January,
and
fifth
stage
zoeae
appear
between
mid­
February
and
mid­
March;
about
80­
95
days
are
required
to
complete
the
five
zoeal
stages
in
California
(
Reilly
1985).
Zoeae
first
appear
5­
16
km
from
shore
(
Lough
1976;
Orcutt
1977;
Reilly
1983a).
In
both
central
and
northern
California,
zoeae
are
almost
always
found
in
the
ocean,
not
the
bays
(
Reilly
1985).
Of
hundreds
of
estuarine
samples,
only
two
contained
zoeae;
of
several
thousand
oceanic
samples,
about
2,000
contained
zoeae
(
Reilly
1985).
Dungeness
crab
larvae
appear
to
be
unique
among
larval
brachyurans
in
central
California
in
this
respect
and
are
the
most
abundant
first
stage
zoeae
present
at
offshore
depths
greater
than
30
m
(
Reilly
1985).
All
four
of
the
other
Cancer
crabs
of
central
California­­
the
red
crab
(
C.
productus),
the
slender
crab
(
C.
grucilis),
the
rock
crab
(
C.
antennurius),
and
the
yellow
crab
(
C.
anthonyi)­­
occur
as
first
stage
zoeae
in
San
Francisco
Bay
(
Reilly
1985).
Offshore
movement
and
distribution
of
Dungeness
crab
larvae
are
probably
regulated
by
a
variety
of
factors,
including
depth,
latitude,
temperature,
salinity,
and
ocean
currents
(
Reilly
1983a,
1985).
Multiple
regression
analysis
indicated
that
depth
is
the
most
important
independent
variable
that
is
correlated
with
larval
distribution
offshore
(
Reilly
1983a,
1985).
Distribution
is
also
dependent
upon
the
larval
stage,
and
the
larvae
show
a
die1
pattern
of
vertical
distribution;
they
are
near
the
surface
at
night
and
at
depth
during
the
day
(
Reilly
1983a,
1985).
Considerable
offshore
movement
of
larvae
occurs
during
the
zoeal
stages;
the
larvae
appear
to
be
transported
seaward
from
the
onset
of
hatching
(
Reilly
1983a).
Hatfield
(
1983)
indicated
that
Dungeness
crab
zoeae
appear
to
move
offshore
and
presumably
alongshore
during
late
winter
and
the
winter­
to­
spring
transition
period.
After
upwelling
occurs
around
April
and
May,
the
megalops
(
advanced
stage)
appear
in
large
nearshore
concentrations,
although
the
mechanism
by
which
they
move
inshore
is
unclear.

The
megalops
(
advanced)
stage
of
the
Dungeness
crab
is
found
from
May
to
September
off
the
coast
of
British
Columbia.
It
is
the
last
pelagic
stage.
In
Washington
coastal
waters,
the
megalopae
first
appear
in
April;
abundance
peaks
in
May
through
June.
In
Oregon
waters,
they
are
most
abundant
in
April
and
May
(
MacKay
1942;
Cleaver
1949;
Butler
1956;
Lough
1976;
Stevens
1982).
Dungeness
crabs
spend
25­
30
days
as
megalopae
in
California
where
they
first
appear
in
early
March,
but
may
appear
as
late
as
mid­
April
(
Reilly
1985).
This
trend
of
abundance
indicates
larval
development
ends
later
proceeding
from
south
to
north.
Off
Oregon,
megalops
are
carried
within
1
km
of
shore
by
tidal
currents
and
by
self­
propulsion
(
Lough
1976).
Megalopae
often
are
abundant
on
the
hydrozoan
Velella
velellu,
when
they
are
scarce
or
absent
elsewhere
in
the
water
column
(
Wickham
1979c;
Stevens
and
Armstrong
1985).
Wickham
(
1979c)
suggested
that
V.
velellu
aids
in
the
movement
and
distribution
of
megalops
and
possibly
provides
a
food
source
and
protection
from
predation.

Larvae
eat
both
zooplankton
and
phytoplankton,
but
zooplankton
is
most
important
(
Lough
1976).
The
larvae
capture
food
items
with
the
natatory
hairs
of
their
L
Egg
from
female
Sperm
from
male
crab
Fertilized
e
g
g
larval
crab
Figure
4.
Life
cycle
stages
of
the
Dungeness
crab:
Zoea,
megolops,
postlarva
(
juvenile),
and
adult.

maxillipeds,
and
size
of
food
is
a
selection
factor
(
Lough
1976;
Armstrong
et
al.
1981).

Information
on
larval
predators
and
predation
rates
is
scarce.
Zoeae
are
thought
to
be
consumed
by
numerous
types
of
planktivores
(
Stevens
1982);
megalopae
are
preyed
upon
by
many
fishes,
including
coho
salmon
(
Oncorhynchus
kin&
h)
and
chinook
salmon
(
0.
tshawytscha),
according
to
Orcutt
et
al.
(
1976)
and
Reilly
(
1983b).
Heavy
predation
by
salmon
may
have
caused
the
decline
of
the
Dungeness
crab
catch
in
the
San
Francisco
Bay
area
(
Reilly
1983b).
There
appears
to
be
a
direct
relationship
between
coho
salmon
hatchery
production
in
Oregon
and
the
magnitude
of
predation
on
the
megalopae
in
California
waters
(
Reilly
1983b).
In
a
study
of
food
habits,
the
combined
stomachs
of
eight
coho
salmon
contained
1,061
megalops
(
Orcutt
1977);
in
a
separate
study
(
MacKay
1942)
up
to
1,500
megalopae
were
found
in
the
stomach
of
a
single
fish.
Prince
and
Gotshall
(
1976)
found
Dungeness
crab
megalops
and
instars,
the
stages
between
postlarval
(
including
adult)
molts,
to
be
the
most
important
food
of
copper
rock&
h
6
(
Sebastes
caurinus)
in
northern
California's
Humboldt
Bay.

The
abundance
of
a
year
class
depends
in
part
on
larval
survival
to
metamorphosis
(
Peterson
1973;
Wickham
et
al.
1976;
McKelvey
et
al.
1980).
Natural
larval
mortality
is
probably
high
because
of
a
combination
of
predation,
excessively
high
or
low
water
temperatures
and
fluctuations,
a
scarcity
or
low
quality
of
food,
and
currents
affecting
distribution
(
Lough
1976;
Armstrong
1983).

Juveniles
Most
megalopae
molt
into
juveniles
in
August
off
the
coast
of
British
Columbia
(
Figure
4;
MacKay
1942;
Butler
1956),
and
in
April­
May
off
the
coasts
of
both
Oregon
(
Lough
1976)
and
Washington
(
Stevens
1982).
After
molting,
the
juveniles
are
found
in
shallow
coastal
waters
and
estuaries,
and
large
numbers
live
in
beds
of
eelgrass
(
Zostera
sp.)
or
other
aquatic
vegetation
that
provide
protection
and
substrate
and
harbor
food
organisms
for
early
instars
(
Butler
1956;
Orcutt
et
al.
1975;
Stevens
and
Armstrong
1984,
1985).
Recently,
shells
of
bivalves
such
as
the
softshell
clam
(
Myu
urenuria)
and
the
Pacific
oyster
(
Crussostreu
&
us)
have
been
documented
as
very
important
habitat
for
young
Dungeness
crabs
(
Armstrong
and
Gunderson
1985).
In
central
California,
there
is
evidence
that
movement
of
postlarval
Dungencss
crabs
into
the
estuaries
takes
place
in
May
and
June
via
bottom
currents,
where
they
stay
for
11­
15
months
(
Tasto
1983).
Juveniles
are
more
common
in
estuaries,
while
subadults
and
adults
are
more
common
offshore.
The
importance
of
estuaries
to
juvenile
Dungeness
crabs
has
been
discussed
in
detail
(
Tasto
1983;
Armstrong
and
Gunderson
1985;
Stevens
and
Armstrong
1985;
Emmett
and
Durkin
1985).
Dungeness
crab
tag
recovery
data
in
California
show
a
regular
pattern
of
movement
of
juvenile
crabs
out
of
estuaries
and
a
random
movement
of
adult
crabs
in
the
ocean
(
Collier
1983).
Armstrong
(
1985)
noted
that
spawning
takes
place
offshore,
which
would
be
a
major
reason
for
adults
moving
out
of
the
estuaries.

Juveniles
molt
11
or
12
times
before
sexual
maturity
(
Butler
1960,
1961b).
Carapace
width
at
the
first
instar
(
the
first
benthic
stage)
varies
from
about
5
mm
to
greater
than
8.5
mm
(
Cleaver
1949;
Waldrom
1958;
Butler
1960,
l%
lb;
Poole
1%
7).
After
1
year
of
growth
beyond
hatching,
most
crabs
in
Bodega
Bay,
California,
are
in
their
8th,
9th,
or
10th
instar
(
Poole
1%
7).
By
comparison,
crabs
from
Grays
Harbor,
Washington,
only
attain
the
sixth
or
seventh
instar
by
the
end
of
their
first
year
of
life
(
Stevens
and
Armstrong
1984).
Carapace
width
(
CW)
after
the
first
year
averages
44
mm
in
Grays
Harbor,
while
the
range
is
63­
94
mm
in
Bodega
Bay
(
Poole
1%
7;
Stevens
et
al.
1982).
The
crabs
mature
after
about
2
years
(
Butler
l%
lb)
at
about
116
mm
CW
for
males
and
100
mm
for
females
(
Butler
1960).

The
diet
of
juvenile
crabs
consists
largely
of
fish,
mollusks,
and
crustaceans
(
Butler
1954;
Gotshali
1977;
Stevens
1982).
Juvenile
Dungeness
crabs,
lo­
30
mm
CW,
forage
for
the
small,
estuarine
bivalve,
Trunsennellu
tuntillu
(
Asson­
Bates
1986).
In
Grays
Harbor,
Washington,
first­
year
juveniles
~
60
mm
CW
feed
primarily
on
small
mollusks
and
crustaceans.
Second­
year
crabs,
61­
100
mm
CW,
feed
on
fish
and
prefer
Crungon
shrimp
(
Stevens
et
al.
1982).
Fish
also
are
important
to
northern
California
crabs
c
100
mm
CW
according
to
Gotshall
(
1977)
but
Butler
(
1954)
reported
that
crustaceans
were
the
primary
food
among
crabs
of
this
size
in
the
Queen
Charlotte
Islands,
British
Columbia.
Cannibalism
among
Dungeness
crabs
has
been
noted
by
various
authors
(
MacKay
1942;
Butler
1954;
Tegelberg
1972;
Gotshall
1977;
Stevens
1982;
Stevens
et
al.
1982).
Cannibalism
was
most
prevalent
among
crabs
<
60
mm
CW
which
fed
on
smaller
crabs
of
the
same
year
class,
probably
during
molting
(
Stevens
1982;
Stevens
et
al.
1982).
Cannibalism
is
cited
as
a
possible
cause
of
the
dramatic
population
cycles
characteristic
of
the
Dungeness
crab
fishery
(
Botsford
and
Wickham
1978).

Juveniles
are
eaten
by
a
variety
of
demersal
fishes
in
the
nearshore
area,
among
which
the
most
important
are
various
flatfishes­­
starry
flounder,
Pkztichthys
stellutus;
English
sole,
Purophrys
vet&
us;
and
rock
sole,
Lepidopsetta
bilineatu
(
Reilly
1983b).
Other
predators
on
7
juvenile
crabs
are
lingcod
(
Ophiodon
elongatus),
California
(
Gotshall
1977)
and
2
166
mm
CW
cabezon
(
Scorpaenichthys
marmoratus),
wolf­
in
British
Columbia
(
Butler
1954).
Crustaceans
&
eels
(
Anarrhichthys
oceZZutus>,
rockfish
(
Sebustes
and
fish
are
valuable
foods
of
the
adult
Dunspp
and
octopus
(
Octopus
dofleini),
according
geness
crabs
from
both
Similk
Bay
and
Grays
to
Waldrom
(
1958)
and
Orcutt
(
1977).
Preda­
Harbor,
Washington
(
Mayer
1973;
Stevens
et
al.
tion
on
Dungeness
crabs
may
be
seasonal
in
1982).
Dungeness
crab
populations
are
nature,
as
observed
in
white
sturgeons,
apparently
not
limited
by
the
abundance
or
Acipenser
transmontanus
(
McKechnie
a
n
d
scarcity
of
particular
foods
because
they
are
Fenner
1971).
Predation
on
Dungeness
crabs
nonspecific
feeders
that
readily
adjust
to
various
may
have
a
devastating
impact
as
in
the
case
of
foods
(
Gotshall
1977).
They
have
developed
a
sea
otters
(&
hydra
Zutrzk)
in
Orca
Inlet,
Alaska
feeding
preference
for
biota
on
mud­
sand
(
Kimker
1985b).
substrate
(
Lawton
and
Elner
1985).

Adults
At
about
4
years
old,
most
adult
Dungeness
males
in
the
coastal
waters
of
Washington
are
of
marketable
size
(>
159
mm)
(
Cleaver
1949;
Williams
1979).
Marketable
crabs
usually
molt
only
once
a
year
(
MacKay
1942).
The
maximum
life
span
of
Dungeness
crabs
is
8
to
10
years.
The
maximum
size
attained
is
about
218
mm
CW
in
males
and
160
mm
CW
in
females
at
the
16th
instar
(
MacKay
1942;
Butler
l%
lb).

Adult
Dungeness
crabs
occur
primarily
in
the
ocean
but
are
also
abundant
in
inland
coastal
waters.
Along
the
coast
of
northern
California,
legal­
sized
and
large
sublegal­
sized
male
crabs
probably
move
offshore
(
often
to
the
south
or
north)
in
late
summer,
sometimes
through
early
winter;
during
winter
the
direction
of
movement
is
probably
reversed
and
the
crabs
return
inshore.
Interannual
variation
in
the
predominant
direction
of
movement
is
considerable
(
Gotshall
1978b).
Collier
(
1983)
has
shown
a
random
movement
of
adult
crabs
in
the
ocean.
Many
adult
female
crabs
tagged
off
the
coast
of
northern
California
moved
relatively
little
(
about
2
km)
after
1
year
(
Gotshall
1978b;
Diamond
and
Hankin
1985).
These
tagging
studies
indicate
that
adult
female
crabs
constitute
extremely
localized
stocks
in
northern
California.
However,
Soule
and
Tasto
(
1983)
reported
that
Dungeness
crabs
found
in
different
areas
along
the
Pacific
Coast
exhibited
low
levels
of
electrophoretic
variation,
indicating
that
this
species
dispersed
widely
and
prevented
local
gene
differentiation
of
populations.
Crabs
of
different
ages
or
sizes
tend
to
eat
different
sizes
or
kinds
of
food
(
Stevens
1982;
Stevens
et
al.
1982).
According
to
Stevens
et
al.
(
1982),
crabs
progress
from
eating
bivalves
their
first
year
after
settlement,
to
eating
shrimp
(
Crungon
spp.)
their
second
year,
and
finally
to
eating
juvenile
teleost
fish
in
the
third
year;
these
shifts
may
be
caused
purely
by
changes
in
mechanisms
of
food
handling,
or
they
may
have
evolved
to
reduce
competition
among
age
groups
of
crabs.
Crabs
display
a
definite
die1
activity;
they
are
more
abundant
by
day
in
the
subtidal
area
and
more
abundant
at
night
in
the
intertidal
area;
the
response
is
positively
correlated
with
food
availability
(
Stevens
et
al.
1984).
Cannibalism
is
common
among
adults,
but
no
correlations
have
been
made
between
the
rate
of
cannibalism
and
abundance
(
Stevens
1982;
Stevens
et
al.
1982).

GROWTH
CHARACTERISTICS
Clams
are
the
most
important
food
of
adult
Dungeness
crabs
L
151
mm
CW
in
northern
In
Dungeness
crabs,
like
other
crustaceans,
growth
proceeds
in
steps
through
a
series
of
molts.
The
general
process
of
crustacean
growth
has
been
described
by
Barnes
(
1974)
and
Warner
(
1977).
The
number
of
molts
that
a
crab
undergoes
before
becoming
mature
depends
upon
the
growth
increment
at
each
molt
and
the
frequency
of
molting,
both
of
which
vary
among
crabs
at
different
locations.
Dungeness
crabs
grow
in
carapace
size
at
each
molt
and
gain
biomass
between
molts.
In
older
crabs
the
growth,
as
measured
by
the
percent
change
in
carapace
width,
declines
as
the
frequency
of
molting
slows
down,
but
the
rate
of
weight
gain
increases
over
time.
The
probability
of
annual
molting
in
female
Dungeness
8
crabs
declines
from
about
1.0
for
crabs
of
130­
135
mm
CW
to
0.0
for
crabs
of
155
mm
CW
and
larger
(
Hankin
et
al.
1985).

Among
possible
attributes
of
estuarine
residence
suggested
by
Stevens
and
Armstrong
(
1984)
is
an
enhanced
growth
rate
compared
to
that
of
siblings
of
a
year
class
that
settle
offshore
Size
attained
by
juvenile
crabs
within
certain
periods
after
metamorphosis
seems
to
be
somewhat
dependent
on
latitude
and
on
time
of
settlement.
Upper
estimates
of
age
at
sexual
maturity
range
from
4­
5
years
in
British
Columbia
(
MacKay
and
Weymouth
1935)
to
1
year
in
San
Francisco
Bay,
where
the
crabs
reach
by
this
time
a
carapace
width
(
100
mm)
usually
associated
with
sexual
maturity
(
Tasto
1983).
More
generally,
crabs
are
predicted
to
reach
maturity
at
the
end
of
their
second
year
after
metamorphosis
or
in
their
third
growing
season
over
much
of
the
coast
(
Butler
l%
lb;
Cleaver
1949).
While
age
and
size
at
sexual
maturity
may
not
differ
substantially
along
the
coast,
estimates
of
growth
rates
of
newly
settled
age
0+
crabs
do.

Several
studies
of
juveniles
indicate
that
growth
rate
is
accelerated
in
estuaries
or
within
nearshore
coastal
embayments
where
water
temperatures
are
relatively
high
(
Stevens
and
Armstrong
1984;
Armstrong
and
Gunderson
1985).
This
difference
in
growth
rate
may
be
due
to
a
temperature
difference
which
is
approximately
6
"
C
higher
in
the
estuary
than
the
ocean
(
Armstrong
and
Gunderson
1985).

Growth
of
young­
of­
the­
year
crabs
is
substantially
slower
offshore
from
San
Francisco
Bay,
in
the
Gulf
of
the
Farallons,
than
in
estuaries
(
Tasto
1983)
where
the
offshore
crabs
are
about
28­
30
mm
and
those
in
the
estuary
are
about
60
mm
in
width.
Gulf­
reared
crabs
require
about
2
years
after
metamorphosis
to
reach
the
first
postlarval
instar
width
of
100
mm,
while
the
average
bay­
reared
crab
reaches
this
size
one
year
after
metamorphosis
(
Tasto
1983).

Growth
of
California
Dungeness
crabs
is
somewhat
faster
in
males
than
females
(
Figure
5)
but
varies
from
year
to
year
and
among
geographic
regions
(
Tasto
1983).
In
northern
Figure
5.
Mean
carapace
width
of
male
and
female
crabs
from
central
California,
1977­
80.

California,
age
and
growth
are
similar
to
that
observed
in
Washington,
where
crabs
become
fully
recruited
into
the
fishery
at
4
years
of
age,
having
reached
a
carapace
width
of
about
159
mm
(
Warner
1985b;
1987).
Dungeness
crab
growth
is
variable
along
the
Pacific
coast.
However,
in
general,
it
is
somewhat
slower
in
the
northern
part
of
the
range
(
Washington
and
British
Columbia)
when
compared
to
the
southern
part
of
the
range
(
California).

THE
FISHERY
Cknmexial
Fishery
Commercial
landings
of
Dungeness
crab
on
the
Pacific
coast
have
fluctuated
widely,
almost
cyclically,
over
the
past
30
years
(
Figure
6)
and
have
been
reviewed
by
Armstrong
(
1983).
The
cyclical
characteristics
of
the
catches
were
most
9
1
5
5II
1955
57
59
61
63
65
67
69
71
73
75
77
79
81
83
1
5
1
BRITISH
COLUMBIA
,
I'
I
'
1
'
1'
1
'
1
"
l'l'l'l'l'i'f
1955
57
59
61
63
65
67
69
71
73
75
77
79
81
83
Aua
­
WASHINGTON
v)
z
5­
0
1955
I
57
I
59
1
I
61
'
f
'
1
'
=
1
67
J
69
`
1'
71
J
'
1
'
63
65
73
75
"
77
bl
!?
`
5­
O
R
E
G
O
N
5­

I
'
I
'
1
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
I'I
`
1
`
IC
1955
57
59
61
63
65
67
69
71
73
77
79
25
_
CALIFORNIA
5­

I'I'I'I'I'I'~`~`~`~`
I'~`
I'~
c
1955
57
59
61
63
65
67
69
71
73
75
77
79
81
83
Figure
6.
Dungeness
crab
landings
by
season
in
Paciiic
Coast
States
and
in
the
Province
of
British
Columbia,
1955433.

10
noticeable
in
northern
California
(
Gotshall
1978a;
Farley
1983;
Dahlstrom
and
Wild
1983;
Warner
1985a).
Several
hypotheses
have
been
proposed
to
explain
the
cyclic
nature
of
Dungeness
crab
population
size.
According
to
Peterson
(
1973),
commercial
landings
were
highest
1.5
years
after
a
period
of
strong
upwelling
in
California
and
Oregon,
and
6
months
following
a
strong
upwelling
in
Washington,
although
the
biological
sense
of
such
a
relation
is
much
in
doubt.
Botsford
and
Wickham
(
1975)
challenged
this
conclusion
by
using
autocorrelation
to
show
that
commercial
landings
are
cyclic
but
that
strong
upwelling
is
not.

Another
hypothesis
to
explain
catch
fluctuations
suggests
that
periods
of
high
levels
of
cannibalism
and
interspecific
competition
may
cause
a
decline
in
the
fishery
3
or
4
years
later
(
Botsford
and
Wickham
1978).
In
a
model
predicting
recruitment,
McKelvey
et
al.
(
1980)
discounted
cannibalism
as
a
factor
and
contended
that
changes
in
egg
and
larval
survival
regulate
population
success.
Larval
survival
may
be
seriously
reduced
by
a
combination
of
environmental
factors
that
can
cause
increased
mortality
if
unfavorable
for
even
short
periods
of
time
(
Lough
1976).
Stevens
and
Armstrong
(
1981)
indicate
that
diseases
caused
by
various
organisms
(
bacteria,
Protozoa,
or
fungi)
may
be
responsible
for
mass
mortalities
of
adult
crabs.
Predation
may
have
a
profound
impact
on
the
Dungeness
crab
commercial
fishery
in
certain
geographic
areas
(
Kimker
1985b).
Reilly
(
1983b)
hypothesized
that
extensive
predation
by
hatchery­
released
coho
salmon
from
the
Columbia
River
continually
suppressed
the
Dungeness
crab
fishery.
There
is
an
apparent
cyclic
covariance
between
abundances
of
salmon
and
Dungeness
crabs
(
Botsford
et
al.
1982).

Dungeness
crab
landings
from
1954
to
1983,
divided
by
State
and
Province
(
Figure
6),
show
that
landings
in
Washington
(
except
Puget
Sound),
Oregon,
and
California
generally
followed
similar
trends.
Landings
from
Puget
Sound
and
British
Columbia
are
lower
and
show
less
annual
variation.
Alaska
landings
bear
little
relation
to
other
areas
of
the
Pacific
Northwest.
Recent
reviews
of
the
commercial
Dungeness
crab
fishery
have
been
published
for
Alaska
(
Eaton
1985;
Kimker
1985b;
Koeneman
1985;
Merritt
1985),
British
Columbia
(
Jam&
on
1985),
Washington
(
Barry
1985),
Oregon
(
Demory
1985),
and
California
(
Dahlstrom
and
Wild
1983;
Warner
1985a).

California
has
five
commercial
Dungeness
crab
fishing
areas:
(
1)
Eureka
to
Crescent
City;
(
2)
Fort
Bragg;
(
3)
San
Francisco
to
Bodega
Bay;
(
4)
Monterey;
and
(
5)
Avila
Bay
to
Morro
Bay
(
Figure
2).
The
commercial
fshery
extends
south
to
Point
Conception.
Two
major
populations
of
Dungeness
crabs
are
commercially
exploited
in
California
(
Warner
1985a)­­
those
from
northern
California
and
those
from
central
California
(
Figures
2
and
7).
Point
Arena
is
the
division
between
these
two
fisheries,
according
to
Farley
(
1983).
Central
California
catches
have
been
low
since
about
1%
2
(
Figure
7),
whereas
in
northern
California
good
catches
for
about
6
years
have
alternated
with
poor
catches
of
about
4
years
(
Figure
7).
Crescent
City
has
been
the
major
port
of
landing
in
California
(
Warner
1985a).

Only
male
crabs
6­
l/
4
inches
wide
or
wider
may
be
taken
commercially
in
California.
Not
more
than
1%
of
any
catch
may
be
smaller
than
this
size
and
no
crabs
less
than
S­
3/
4
inches
may
be
retained
(
Warner
1985a).
Most
crabs
taken
in
the
California
commercial
fishery
are
4­
yearolds
although
some
3­
and
5­
year­
old
crabs
are
taken
(
Warner
1985a).

Figure
7.
Dungeness
crab
landings
for
central
and
northern
California
(
Farley
1983).

11
Sport
Fidmy
Sport
catch
data
are
scarce
and
according
to
Barry
(
1985)
the
Washington
sport
fishery
on
Dungeness
crabs
amounts
to
less
than
one
percent
of
the
annual
commercial
harvest.
Most
of
the
available
sport
catch
data
are
from
a
survey
reported
by
Williams
(
1979).
He
revealed
that
from
April
through
August
1974,
471
crabs
were
taken
intertidally
at
Mission
Beach,
Washington,
by
735
sport
crabbers.
April,
May,
and
June
produced
the
best
sport
catches,
with
the
highest
average
catches
occurring
on
low
tides
that
ranged
from
­
0.60
to
­
0.74
m.
Aerial
surveys
made
over
Puget
Sound
beaches
using
Williams'
(
1979)
survey
data
estimated
that
the
beaches
of
Washington
State
probably
supported
about
20,000
crabbers
during
those
months
in
1974.
In
1975
in
Washington,
the
sport
crab
pot
fishery
alone
accounted
for
the
harvest
of
about
300,000
Dungeness
crabs
(
Tegelberg
1976).
Other
sport
catch
methods
are
ring
nets,
dip
nets,
and
hook
and
line.

Although
both
male
and
female
crabs
may
be
taken
in
the
California
sport
fishery
(
Figure
3)
there
is
a
minimum
size
for
both
sexes
of
6­
l/
4
inches,
measured
in
front
of
the
10th
anteriolateral
spines.
The
daily
catch
limit
is
10
crabs.
Concern
over
the
excessive
take
of
sublegal
sized
Dungeness
crabs
in
the
sport
fishery
prompted
the
California
Fish
and
Game
Commission
in
1978
to
close
the
fishery
in
San
Francisco
and
San
Pablo
Bays
inside
Golden
Gate
(
Dalstrom
and
Wild
1983).
Sport
fishing
for
Dungeness
crabs
is
most
active
in
the
Crescent
City
area
(
Dalstrom
and
Wild
1983).
Nearly
4
times
more
red
crabs
(
C.
productus)
than
Dungeness
crabs
are
taken
in
the
sport
fishery.
Rock
crabs,
slender
crabs,
and
yellow
crabs
are
also
taken
in
the
sport
fishery
in
limited
numbers.

A
useful
publication
for
sport
crabbers
in
California
by
Phillips
(
1973)
describes
the
common
members
of
the
genus
Cancer
and
the
gear
used
to
catch
them.

ECOLOGICAL
ROLE
Dungeness
crabs
consume
a
wide
variety
of
food
organisms
and
are
prey
to
numerous
predators.
Crabs
contribute
to
several
trophic
levels
as
they
progress
through
successive
life
stages.
The
larvae
largely
consume
plankton
(
Lough
1976)
and
are
preyed
upon
by
numerous
fishes.
Adults
and
juveniles
are
preyed
upon
by
sea
otters,
fishes,
and
octopuses
(
Butler
1954;
Waldrom
1958;
Stevens
1982;
Reilly
1983b;
Kimker
1985b).
Cannibalism
is
common
and
probably
exercises
some
control
over
abundance.
In
their
various
life
stages,
Dungeness
crabs
feed
on
a
variety
of
mollusks,
crustaceans,
and
fish
species
(
Stevens
et
al.
1982).
Other
information
on
the
ecological
role
is
given
in
the
life
history
section.

ENVIRONMENTAL
REQUIREMENTS
Tempemture
The
temperature
preferences
of
adult
crabs
are
different
among
seasons
(
Mayer
1973).
They
are
somewhat
tolerant
of
abrupt
temperature
and
salinity
fluctuations
(
Cleaver
1949)
and
water
temperatures
from
3
to
19
"
C
were
listed
as
normal
for
the
Dungeness
crab
(
Cleaver
1949).

Dungeness
crabs
have
different
optimal
water
temperatures
at
different
stages.
I
n
t
h
e
laboratory,
Des
Voigne
(
1973)
reported
that
optimal
water
temperatures
for
mating
ranged
from
12
to
16
"
C
during
long
photoperiods.
Wild
(
1983)
noted
an
apparent
trend
towards
crabs
mating
later
in
colder
water
in
his
laboratory
experiments,
and
noted
that
mating
took
place
between
10
and
17
"
C.
Other
factors
that
were
not
controlled
may
have
interacted
with
temperature
to
produce
Des
Voigne's
(
1973)
and
Wild's
(
1983)
results.
In
Washington
coastal
waters,
where
Dungeness
crabs
usually
mate
in
early
spring,
when
the
bottom
temperatures
are
between
8
and
10
"
C
(
Armstrong,
unpubl.
data).
Reported
spawning
temperatures
vary
partly
because
they
are
not
based
on
well­
managed
experiments.
According
to
Wild
(
1983),
the
egg
brooding
periods
varied
inversely
with
seawater
temperatures
of
9
to
17
"
C
(
Figure
8).
Moving
northward
along
the
Pacific
coast,
prolonged
egg
brooding
periods
in
colder
water
are
consistent
with
prolonged
occurrences
of
ovigerous
crabs
and
cooler
ocean
g
90
8
.*
E
80
'
J
8
.
.
.
m
.

Figure
8.
Egg­
brooding
periods
of
the
Dungeness
crab
at
various
laboratory
seawater
temperatures.

temperatures
(
Wild
1983).
Hatching
success,
considered
as
the
number
of
larvae
that
hatch
from
an
egg
mass,
decreased
as
the
temperature
increased
from
10
to
17
"
C
(
Wild
1983).
Mayer
(
1973)
found
a
similar
correlation
between
egg
mortality
and
temperature
with
20%
mortality
after
20
min
at
10
"
C
and
100%
mortality
after
4
min
at
20
"
C.

Optimal
temperatures
for
larvae
are
10
to
14
"
C.
Juvenile
crabs,
80
mm
wide
and
acclimated
to
10.0
"
C,
have
been
exposed
to
water
temperatures
up
to
25.0
"
C
for
7
days
with
little
or
no
mortality
(
Des
Voigne
1973);
however,
an
increase
to
27.5
"
C
was
fatal
to
100%
of
all
crabs
tested.
In
the
laboratory,
adult
crabs
had
a
maximum
tolerable
temperature
of
25
"
C
during
long
photoperiods,
which
decreased
to
20
"
C
when
exposed
to
short
photoperiods
(
Des
Voigne
1973).
With
adult
crabs
held
for
8
months,
Wild
(
1983)
observed
that
mortality
increased
with
temperature
from
17%
at
10
"
C
to
58%
at
13
"
C
and
to
80%
at
17
"
C,
although
laboratory
stress
probably
exacerbated
the
effect
of
high
temperatures.
Sahity
Tolerance
to
salinity
varies
among
the
life
stages
of
the
Dungeness
crab.
In
general,
salinity
is
not
as
important
as
temperature
to
egg
development
and
hatching,
but
the
larvae
are
highly
sensitive
to
changes
in
salinity
(
Buchanan
and
Milleman
1%
9).
The
percentage
of
eggs
hatching
was
optimum
at
15
ppt,
but
hatching
occurred
to
some
degree
over
a
wide
range
of
salinities
between
10
ppt
and
32
ppt
(
Buchanan
and
Milleman
1969).
When
salinity
was
increased
from
15
ppt
to
32
ppt,
the
average
prezoeal
period
was
reduced
from
about
60
min
to
less
than
11
min.
At
a
salinity
of
10
ppt,
no
prezoeae
molted
to
zoeae,
but
100%
molted
at
30
ppt
(
Buchanan
and
Milleman
1%
9).
The
highest
survival
for
larvae
was
between
salinities
of
25
ppt
and
30
ppt
(
Reed
1%
9).
Survival
decreased
with
salinity
and
was
poorest
at
salinities
of
15
ppt;
salinities
lower
than
15
ppt
are
also
lethal
(
Reed
1969).
Sugarman
et
al.
(
1983)
demonstrated
that
adult
Dungeness
crabs
close
(
by
retracting
their
appendages
and
tightly
closing
their
buccal
cavity)
and
stop
all
overt
activity
to
prevent
ionic
exchange
at
36.2
ppt
(
upper
limit)
and
at
15.5
ppt
(
lower
limit).

Tempeature­
Salinity
Iiiractions
Salinity
and
temperature
are
both
related
to
laIva1
survival.
Significant
interaction
exists
between
these
two
factors,
with
salinity
buffering
the
effects
of
temperature.
At
favorable
temperatures,
unfavorable
salinities
resulted
in
complete
mortality
of
adults,
but
favorable
salinities
at
unfavorable
temperatures
allowed
some
survival
(
Reed
1%
9).
The
most
obvious
effect
on
growth
rate
occurred
at
temperatures
that
resulted
in
the
best
survival.
Salinities
that
favored
survival
generally
had
little
effect
on
zoeal
growth.
Survival
of
zoeae
is
optimal
between
the
water
temperatures
of
10.0
and
13.0
"
C
and
salinities
of
25
and
30
ppl
(
Reed
1%
9).
The
significant
interaction
between
temperature
and
salinity
dictates
caution
when
making
statements
about
either
variable
independent
of
the
other
one.
The
effects
of
temperature
or
salinity
alone
on
C.
magkter
zoeae
do
not
appear
to
cause
large
13
fluctuations
in
zoeal
survival
in
the
ocean
(
Reed
1969;
Lough
1976).

SWti?

Adult
crabs
are
found
living
over
several
substrate
types
(
Schmitt
1921;
Cleaver
1949;
Butler
1956)
but
they
prefer
sandy­
mud
bottoms
(
Karpov
1983;
Lawton
and
Elner
1985).
Early
juveniles
prefer
beds
of
eelgrass,
shell,
or
sandy
mud
(
Stevens
and
Armstrong
1984).
This
preference
may
stem
from
an
abundance
of
food
organisms
on
such
substrates
or
perhaps
the
crabs
find
shelter
from
predation
there
(
Stevens
1982).
Older
crabs
seem
less
dependent
on
epibenthic
cover
and
can
be
found
over
more
exposed
substrates.
Most
crabs
remain
in
the
subtidal
environment,
but
may
venture
into
littoral
areas
at
high
tide
(
Stevens
et
al.
1984).
The
presence
of
preferred
food
items
enhances
this
behavior,
while
low
salinities
following
heavy
rains
decrease
it.

14
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*

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Distribution,
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Feeding
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1984.
Die1
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Salinity
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Life
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19
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Age
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Carcinonemertes
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Predation
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55(
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53.
Wickham,
D.
E.
1979c.
The
relationship
between
megalopae
of
the
Dungeness
crab,
*
Cancer
magister,
and
the
hydroid,
Velella
velella,
and
its
influence
on
abundance
estimates
of
C.
magi&
r
megalopae.
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65(
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186.

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D.
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hatching
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crab,
Cancer
mugister.
Pages
197­
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Wild
and
R.
N.
Tasto,
eds.
Life
history,
environment,
and
mariculture
studies
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the
Dungeness
crab,
Cancer
magister,
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the
central
California
fishery
resource
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Dep.
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Fish
Bull.
172.

Williams,
J.
G.
1979.
Estimation
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crab,
Cancer
magister,
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Washington,
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S.
Natl.
Mar.
Fish.
Serv.
Fish.
Bull.
77(
1):
287­
qnrl
LYL.

20
3272
­
101
?
EPORT
DOCUMENTATION
/
1.
FE­
T
NO.
PAGE
1
Btologtcal
Report
82(
11.121)*
.
Title
and
Subtitle
~
:
:;
nrrsno"
N
o
.

species
Profile:
Life
Histories
and
Environmental
Requirements
of
Coastal
Fishes
i
'
Decerrker
1989
*
nd
Invertebrates
(
Pacific
Southwest)­­
Dungenes
Crab
6.

Author(
s)

`
G.
B.
Pauley,
D.
A.
Armstrong,
R.
Van
Citter,
and
G.
L.
Thomas
r
8.
f'W'f0""
lni3
Organization
Rc,,
t.
N,

8.
Performing
Organization
Name
and
Address
10.
ProwtlTarklWork
"
mt
No.

U.
S.
Department
of
the
Interior
U.
S.
Army
Corps
of
Engineers
Fish
and
Wildlife
Service
Waterways
Experiment
Station
11.
Contrxt(
C)
or
Grant(
G)
No.

Research
and
Development
P.
O.
Box
631
(
0
National
Wetlands
Research
Center
Vicksburg,
MS
39180
(
G)
Washington,
DC
20240
­
13.
Type
oi
Report
6
Period
Covcre,
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
2.
Spaonsonng
Organization
Name
and
Address
14.

­
­
­
.
S.
Supplementary
Notes
*
U.
S.
Army
Corps
of
Engineers
Report
No.
TR
EL­
82­
4
6.
Abstract
(
Limit:
200
words)

Species
profiles
are
literature
summaries
of
the
taxonomy,
life
history,
and
environmental
requirements
of
coastal
aquatic
species.
They
are
designed
to
assist
in
environmental
impact
assessments.
The
Dungeness
crab
(
Cancer
mugkter)
is
found
in
California
estuaries
and
off
the
coast
of
California.
It
is
a
shellfish
highly
prized
and
sought
after
by
both
commercial
and
sport
fishermen.
Commercial
landings
in
California
have
fluctuated
widely,
almost
cyclically,
over
the
past
30
years.
In
the
California
sport
fishery,
a
minimum
size
of
6.25
inches
carapace
width
has
been
established.
Dungeness
crab
have
a
life
cycle
that
involves
several
metamorphic
stages:
zoea,
megalops,
postlarval
crab,
and
adult
crab.
Normal
temperatures
for
Dungeness
crabs
are
3
to
19
"
C.
Optimum
salinity
for
egg
hatching
is
about
15
ppt,
but
the
survival
rate
of
larvae
is
highest
at
salinities
of
25
to
30
ppt.

17.
Document
Analysis
a.
Descriptors
Estuaries
Temperature
Growth
Fisheries
Feeding
habits
Sediments
Crabs
Life
cycles
Depth
Salinity
b.
Identlfisn/
Open.
Ended
Terms
Dungeness
crab
Life
history
Cancer
magister
Environmental
requirements
c.
COSATI
Field/
Croup
g.
Avralrbility
Statement
!
19.
Security
Class
(
Thas
Report)
2,.
No.
,
f
Pager
Unlimited
Distribution
/
Unclassified
20
__­
20.
Security
Class
Uhis
Page)
22.
price
1
Unclassified
As
the
Nation's
principal
conservation
agency,
the
Department
of
the
Interior
has
responsibility
for
most
of
our
nationally
owned
public
lands
and
natural
resources.
This
includes
fostering
the
wisest
use
of
our
land
and
water
resources,
protecting
our
fish
and
wildlife,
preserving
the
environmental
and
cultural
values
of
our
national
parks
and
historical
places,
and
providing
for
the
enjoyment
of
life
through
outdoor
recreation.
The
Department
assesses
our
energy
and
mineral
resources
and
works
to
assure
that
their
development
is
in
the
best
interests
of
all
our
people.
The
Department
also
has
a
major
responsibility
for
American
Indian
reservation
communities
and
for
people
who
live
in
island
territories
under
U.
S.
administration.

U.
S.
DEPARTMENT
OF
THE
INTERIOR
FISH
AND
WILDLIFE
SERVICE
TAKE
PRIDE
in
America
UNITED
STATES
DEPARTMENT
OF
THE
INTERIOR
FISH
AND
WILDLIFE
SERVICE
National
Wetlands
Research
Center
NASA­
Slide11
Computer
Complex
1010
Gause
Boulevard
Slidell,
LA
70458
