SIZE AT SEXUAL MATURITY IN THE FEMALE RED DEEP-SEA CRAB Chaceon quinquedens IN THE MID-ATLANTIC BIGHT

Stephanie Martínez-Rivera* and Bradley G. Stevens
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
1 Backbone Road, Princess Anne, MD 21853
smartinez@umes.edu

Red deep-sea crab (Chaceon quinquedens), an epi-benthic brachyuran, can be found from Nova Scotia to Florida, at 200-1800 m depths and at water temperatures between 5 - 8 °C. They support a small but valuable federally-managed fishery in the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England. Red crabs are a data poor fishery; major uncertainties exist about their reproductive biology, such as maturity schedule, molt cycle, fecundity, sperm storage, and reproductive cycle. The objective of the study was to determine size at 50% sexual maturity (SM50) for female red crabs. Samples were collected in the Mid-Atlantic Bight in January 2011 and 2012, and July 2013 aboard NOAA research vessels, and July and September 2014 aboard commercial vessels. Crabs were measured and sexed, and gross morphology was recorded including the presence, size and color of ovaries and external eggs. Histological analysis was used to determine five gonad development stages. Estimates of SM50 female red crabs were calculated by non-linear logistic regression, and variance was estimated by bootstrapping. Preliminary results showed that the SM50 for females ranges between 81-90 mm in carapace width (CW). Results suggest that red crabs have a biennial reproductive cycle. This new information will improve the understanding of the population dynamics, and the development of appropriate management strategies.