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.

This is data from a laboratory experiment in which blue king crab juveniles were held at three different pHs (ambient, pH 7.8, and pH 7.5) for a year. Growth, survival, and morphology were recorded.

This is data from a laboratory experiment in which red and blue king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus and P. platypus) juveniles were held at three different pH levels (ambient, pH 7.8, and pH 7.5). Growth, survival, feeding and respiration were recorded. The complete methods, which should be read and understood prior to using this data are published as: Long, W.C., Pruisner, P., Swiney, K.M., and Foy, R. 2019. Effects of ocean acidification on respiration, feeding, and growth of juvenile red and blue king crabs (Paralithodes camtschaticus and P. platypus). ICES J. Mar. Sci. 76(5): 1335-1343. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsz090.

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.

This dataset contains data from a series of experiments that determined the upper thermal tolerance of early benthic stage red and blue king crabs. Experiments included determining the temperature at which 50% of crabs died after 24 hour exposure, determining the effect of temperature on feeding ration, and the effects of temperature on long-term growth and mortality.

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.

To study the effects of ocean acidification we examined the effects of ocean acidification on the embryo 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. Embryos in year 1 were from oocytes developed in the field whereas embryos in year 2 were from oocytes developed under acidified conditions. Datasets associated with this study include Brooding Duration, Carbonate Chemistry, Embryo Morphology, and Embryo Stages. Embryo stages assessed monthly included detailed developmental stages from the prefuniculus formation through the prehatching stage. Embryo stages were not different among pH treatments. Embryo morphology included egg area, egg diameter, yolk area, yolk diameter, embryo area, eye area, and eye diameter. Each morphological characteristic varied according to pH treatment using a principal component analysis.

This data set is from a series of laboratory experiments examining the interactions between red and blue king crabs and habitat. We examined how density and predator presence affect habitat choice by red and blue king crabs. Further experiments determined how temperature and habitat affect predation by year-1 red king crab on year-0 blue king crab. Finally, long-term interaction experiments examined how habitat and density affected growth, survival, and intra-guild interactions between red and blue king crab.

In this study, we examined how CO2-driven acidification affected the growth and survival of juvenile golden king crab (Lithodes aequispinus), an important fishery species in Alaska. Juveniles were reared from larvae in surface ambient pH seawater at the Kodiak Laboratory. Newly molted early benthic instar crabs were randomly assigned to one of three pH treatments: (1) surface ambient pH ~ 8.2, (2) likely in situ ambient pH 7.8, and (3) pH 7.5. Thirty crabs were held in individual inserts in each treatment for 127 days and checked daily for molting or death. The complete methods, which should be read and understood prior to using this data, are published as: Long, W. C., Swiney, K. M., & Foy, R. J. (2021). Effects of ocean acidification on young of the year golden king crab (Lithodes aequispinus) survival and growth. Marine Biology, 168(8), 126. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03930-y.

To study the effects of ocean acidification we conducted laboratory experiments with adult ovigerous females 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. The adult female sizes used for the experiments ranged from 87 to 112 mm among the three treatments. Throughout the experiment , pH and temperature were measured daily in each of the 3 treatments. The mean daily temperature was 5.0 C, varied seasonally from a low of ~1 C in January 2012 to a high of ~ 9C in August 2011, and did not vary between treatments. pH remained significantly different among the treatments. Brooding duration for each female was defined as beginning the day of egg extrusion in 2012 and ended when larval hatching began in 2013. Mean brood duration ranged from 340 to 366 days. Magnesium and calcium content were determined at the end of the experiment from a portion of exoskeleton. Magnesium did not differ with pH treatment but the ratio of magnesium to calcium did differ among treatments.