This data set is the results of a laboratory experiment. Juvenile red king crab and Tanner crab were reared in individual containers for nearly 200 days in flowing control (pH 8.0), pH 7.8, and pH 7.5 seawater at ambient temperatures (range 4.4-11.9 C). Survival, growth, and morphology were measured throughout the experiment. At the end of the experiment, calcium concentration was measured in each crab and the dry mass and condition index of each crab were determined.

Juvenile red and blue king crabs (Paralithodes camtschaticus and P. platypus) were exposed to three pH levels: ambient (pH 8.1), pH 7.8, and pH 7.5 for three weeks. Oxygen consumption and feeding ration were determined immediately after exposure to treatment water and after three weeks exposure. Growth can be calculated from the wet mass observations.

Multiple stressor studies are needed to better understand the effects of oceanic changes on marine organisms. To determine the effects of near-future ocean acidification and warming temperature on juvenile red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) survival, growth, and morphology, we conducted a long-term (184 d) fully crossed experiment with two pHs and three temperatures: ambient pH (~7.99), pH 7.8, ambient temperature, ambient +2 degree C, and ambient +4 degree C, for a total of 6 treatments.

These are data from a laboratory experiment in which wild caught male Tanner crab (Chionoecetes bairdi) from Stephens Passage, SE Alaska were held to evaluate crab survival while harboring Hematodinium sp., a parasitic dinoflagellate and causative agent of Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS). In October 2014, Tanner crab in various condition states were targeted and collected. Targeted crab condition states were visually healthy, visually BCS positive or questionably BCS positive. Crab were held from capture until death (ongoing) and crab were tested regularly for parasite presence using two methods, blood smears and a PCR assay to detect the presence of parasite DNA. The data include crab morphometrics, disease status by diagnostic method, and crab survival duration.

Rearing crustaceans communally for aquaculture, stock enhancement or research often results in high rates of cannibalism and low yields. One potential strategy to reduce loss from cannibalism is to rear crustaceans in individual cells. As small holding cell size can result in decreased growth or increased mortality, it is essential to identify the optimal holding cell size, both for mass culturing efforts and for experimental design purposes. In this study, we reared juvenile red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, (3.67 to 8.30 mm carapace length) in 20, 40, and 77 mm diameter holding cells and monitored growth and survival over a 274-day experiment.

This dataset contains crab data from a field survey of Chionoecetes bairdi and C. opilio collected at six designated index sites in the Bering Sea during the 2016 NOAA/NMFS/AFSC/RACE crab-groundfish bottom trawl surveys of the eastern Bering Sea. Each of the six index sites were made up of approximately 10 survey stations and chosen based on historical incidences of the parasite Hematodinium sp., the causative agent of Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS). Blood samples were taken from collected crab using non-lethal methods and were preserved in 100% ethanol. Samples were tested in a laboratory with a DNA test to detect the presence of the parasite Hematodinium sp., the causative agent of Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS), to evaluate any changes in intensity of disease within the index sites that may provide information as to how the disease is moving or changing within EBS crab populations. The data includes sampling year, index site, species, crab morphometrics, Hematodinium sp. parasite presence/absence based on PCR assay results.

This dataset contains detailed crab data collected from the 2012 NOAA/NMFS/AFSC/RACE crab-groundfish bottom trawl survey of the Chukchi Sea. 71 survey stations were successfully completed during the bottom trawl survey. The survey area extended north and east from the Bering Strait to Barrow Canyon, bounded to the west by the U.S.-Russia Maritime Boundary and east to the 10-m bathymetry limit along the Alaska coastline. Demersal populations were sampled by trawling at stations centered within 55.56 x 55.56 km (30 x 30 nautical miles) grid cells covering the survey area. 100% of the catch is sorted for commercially important crab species. Crabs are sorted by species and sex, and a sample is measured to the nearest millimeter to provide a size-frequency distribution (see note under use constraints for analyzing catches where crab were subsampled for measurement). Carapace width is measured for Tanner crabs, and carapace length is measured for king and hair crabs.

To study the effects of ocean acidification we examined the effects of ocean acidification on the larval stages of the economically important southern Tanner crab, Chionoecetes bairdi. Ovigerous females were reared in one of 3 treatments: control (ambient pH ~8.1), pH 7.8, and pH 7.5 for 2 years. Larvae in year 1 were from oocytes developed in the field whereas larvae in year 2 were from oocytes developed under acidified conditions. Larvae hatched each year, were also exposed to 3 pH treatments to examine starvation-survival, morphology, condition, and calcium/magnesium content. Approximately 300 larvae were stocked in multiple treatments for testing the effect of pH. Hatching success was measured as the total % of larval hatched from a full clutch while duration was the number of days over which hatching occurred. Hatching success did not differ among treatments in 2012 but varied between 46 to 87% in 2013 dependent on pH treatment. Larval mass was highest in pH 7.8 in 2012 and lowest in the control, however in 2013 the highest larval mass was in the control water. There were only small (not significant) changes in magnesium or calcium content among treatments in 2012 however, the reduction in both minerals at higher pH was greater in 2013. There was higher percent carbon and nitrogen contents in pH 7.5 larvae in 2013. The morphology of Tanner crab larval was assessed from 200 larvae stocked in multiple 2 L beakers. There was no effect of treatment on larval morphometrics. In 2012 and 2013, we examined if embryos developed under acidified conditions affected larval morphology by assessing 15 newly hatched larvae from each treatment. There was again no effect of treatment on larval morphometrics. Starvation survival experiments were performed in 1 L sized PVC inserts. In both years larvae from embryos that developed in pH 7.5 water survived about 3 days longer than those that developed in control water. However, in 2012 larvae from embryos that had developed in pH 7.8 water were similar to control larvae whereas in 2013 they were intermediate between the control and pH 7.5 larvae. The overall effects of treatment at the larval stage appeared to be better condition and initial survival at lower pH, however multiple years of treatment led to lower survival.

In December of 2009, a total of 135 adult male red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) were tagged with depth and temperature recording archival tags and released in eastern Bering Sea for the purpose of tracking their seasonal migrations. A total of 2 crab were recaptured by the commercial fishery after being at liberty for 315 and 330 days

This dataset contains detailed crab data collected from the annual NOAA/NMFS/AFSC/RACE crab-groundfish bottom trawl survey of the eastern Bering Sea continental shelf. The standard survey area, surveyed each year since 1975, encompasses a major portion of the eastern Bering Sea shelf between the 20 meter and 200 meter isobaths and from the Alaska Peninsula to the north of St. Matthew Island. The study area is divided into a grid with cell sizes of 20 x 20 nautical miles (37 x 37 kilometers). Sampling takes place within each 20 x 20 nautical mile grid cell. In areas surrounding St. Matthew (1983-present) and the Pribilof Islands (1981-present), grid corners were also sampled to better assess king crab concentrations. In 1975, tows were 1 hour in duration; from 1976 to present, each tow is one-half hour in duration, averaging 1.54 nautical miles (2.86 kilometers) - exact tow duration and distance fished for each haul can be found in RACEBASE.HAUL. 100% of the catch is sorted for red, blue, and golden king crab, bairdi Tanner, snow crab, hybrid Tanner, and hair crab. Crabs are sorted by species and sex, and a sample is measured to the nearest millimeter to provide a size-frequency distribution (see note under use constraints for analyzing catches where crab were subsampled for measurement). Carapace width is measured for Tanner crabs, and carapace length is measured for king and hair crabs.