Evaluation of von bertalanffy growth curves for the introduced red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in Norwegian waters

Abstract

The introduced red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) is abundant in the coastal waters off northern Norway. We developed Bayesian hierarchical models to estimate growth parameters of a von Bertalanffy growth function using tag–recapture data. Individual variability in L∞ (asymptotic length) was incorporated in the analysis. The models successfully estimate female red king crab lengths at intervals where data were sufficient. The length of small males was overestimated. The results indicate a difference in growth rate of male and female juvenile red king crab. The importance of including individual variability was confirmed: Variability in L∞ for individuals was high compared to population variability in L∞. The model that incorporated individual variation resulted in more plausible values for the growth parameters and increased the precision of length estimates compared to the model that estimate a common L∞.