Resource Underutilization in a Spider Crab Industry

Abstract

Underutilization in a spider crab fishery was large with respect to 1974 landings of 3300 metric tons (t). Potentially 1600 t were lost by not fishing all commercial stocks; at least 264 t were discarded in plants because they were too small, soft-shelled, or dead; an additional unmeasured quantity of small and soft-shelled crabs was discarded at the dock or on the fishing grounds and did not survive; 894 t were lost to the groundfish gill net fishery; and 10 t were lost to lost traps. The above losses can be substantially reduced by expanding the fishery to unfished areas, by educating the industry to optimum holding conditions for live crabs, and by the following regulations: (1) providing for a minimum mesh size on traps; (2) requiring that undersized and soft-shelled crabs be returned to the water on the fishing grounds; and (3) providing for ad hoc closure of grounds yielding a high proportion of soft-shelled crabs in catches. No suitable solution has been found to prevent the loss of crabs to the gill net fishery for groundfish and the loss to lost traps was found to be insignificant. While I do not suggest that it is practical to attain maximum sustainable yield (MSY) from unfished stocks or to eliminate all waste, the estimates given suggest the magnitude of the underutilization and what remedial measures have been applied.