Fecundity and duration of egg incubation for multiparous female snow crabs (Chionoecetes opilio) in the fjord of Bonne Bay, Newfoundland

Abstract

Multiparous female snow crabs (Chionoecetes opilio) were collected by trap and Nephrops trawl in the fjord of Bonne Bay, Newfoundland, between April 1988 and August 1992 to study the fecundity and embryonic development. A relationship was established between the color of the egg mass and embryonic development. Fecundity was positively correlated with carapace width. A female of 67 mm carapace width can produce up to about 54 000 eggs. Egg mortality over the incubation period could reach 21%, being greater in larger females. Based on the bimodal distributions of embryonic developmental stages observed in the study, the female reproductive cycle was determined as 2 years and females probably only hatch two broods in their lifetime. Eggs hatch mainly in May and June.