Exploration for Golden Crab, Geryon Fenneri, in the South Atlantic bight : distribution, population structure, and gear assessment

• Main Authors: Wenner, Elizabeth L., Ulrich, Glenn F., Wise, John B.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: South Carolina State Library 1987
• Subjects: Golden king crab; Golden King Crab
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10827/10554

Exploratory trapping for golden crab. Geryon fenneri, was conducted from 5 August 1985 to 21 February 1986 off South Carolina and Georgia. A buoyed system with strings of six traps three side-entry Fathoms Plus and three top-entry Florida traps) was fished in six depth strata: 274-366 m. 367-457 m. 458-549 m. 550-640 m. 641-732 m. and 733-823 m. A total of3,152 G. fenneri 12.661.9 kgl were collected at sampled depths between 296 and 810 m. The only other numerically important species caught was the jonah crab. Cancer borealis (864 individuals. 227.5 kgl. Catches of golden crab were highly variable between strata. Catch per trap increased from 1.6 crabs 11.67 kg! in the shallowest stratum sampled to a maximum abundance of22.3 crabs/trap 118.04 kg/trap) in the 458-549 m depth zone. Catches abruptly declined in the deeper strata sampled. Number of golden crab pel' trap (1.7:11 and weight per trap (1.6:11 in the Florida trap exceeded that in the Fathoms Plus trap for all completed sets. Traps yielded golden crab as small as 85 mm CW but the greatest proportion of crabs was >100 mm CWo Over 90~ of all individuals exceeded 114 mm CW which is the minimum size of red crab. G. quinquedens. accepted for commercial utilization. Male golden crab were more numerous and larger than females.