Fisheries Management Of The Snow Crab, Chionoecetes Opilio, Off Kyoto Prefecture In The Western Sea Of Japan, With Emphasis On Its Resource Recovery

Abstract

The snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio is a subarctic species commonly found in the northwestern Atlantic the northern Pacific, the Bering Sea, the Arctic Ocean and the Sea of Japan. The history of snow crab fisheries and advancement of biological knowledge on snow crab in eastern Canada is reviewed. The snow crab fishery has grown steadily to become the economic mainstay of a number of regions on Canada's Atlantic coast. The original description of life cycle of snow crab in the northwestern Atlantic was updated based on the current biological knowledge of the species, especially since the publication of the existence of a terminal molt in male snow crab by Conan & Comeau. Recent advancement on snow crab biology revealed their complex mating system and shed some light onto the possible process of male only harvesting towards over-fishing by alternation of population reproductive potential. Keywords: Chionoecetes opilio ; eastern Canada; northwestern Atlantic; snow crab fisheries