Seasonal aspects of the biology, distribution and relative abundance of the deep-sea red crab Geryon quinquedens Smith, in the vicinity of the Norfolk Canyon, western North Atlantic

• Main Author: Haefner, Paul A., Jr.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: W&M ScholarWorks 1978
• Subjects: Fisheries Science Peer-Reviewed Articles; Aquaculture and Fisheries; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsarticles/1263; https://scholarworks.wm.edu/context/vimsarticles/article/2263/viewcontent/830_haefner1978.pdf

Deep-sea red crabs were collected from demersal trawl surveys of Norfolk-Canyon and an adjacent open slope area in the Chesapeake Bight of the western North Atlantic Ocean. The surveys were made in each of four seasons over a period of three years. The 2539 red crabs caught ranged from 16mm to 143 mm in carapace length (CL). Relationships between CL and carapace width (CW) were derived for 308 males and for 269 females. Wet weight to CL relationships were derived for 238 males and for 142 females. Red crabs were contagiously distributed within the total depth range of capture (200- 1800m) as well as within the 300-1000 m range of most consistent catches. They were equally abundant in canyon and slope regions in the four seasons. The majority of the population inhabits bottom water deeper than 400 m and overlain by cold, well oxygenated water.