Summary of the Dungeness Crab Management Workshop

Held in Homer, Alaska, February 1-3, 1995

by Margaret C. Murphy

Regional Information Report Number 5J95-17 Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Commercial Fisheries Management and Development Division P.O. Box 25526

Juneau, Alaska 99802-5526

May 26, 1995

The Regional Information Report Series was established in 1987 to provide an information access system for all unpublished divisional reports. These reports frequently serve diverse ad hoc informational purposes or archive basic uninterpreted data. To accommodate timely reporting of recently collected information, reports in this series undergo only limited internal review and may contain preliminary data; this information may be subsequently finalized and published in the formal literature. Consequently, these reports should not be cited without prior approval of the author or the Commercial Fisheries Management and Development Division.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

H his report summarizes a Dungeness crab management workshop held February 1-3, 1995 in Homer, Alaska. The meeting was attended by 17 individuals from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Commercial ~isheries Entry Commission and the washington Department of ~ i s h and Wildlife (~ppendix A). The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate the current management strategy for Dungeness crabs in Alaska. The desired direction is to move from 3-S (size, sex and season) management toward more active management such as quota management where a harvest level is based on the stock strength. This approach was recognized as a major departure from current and historic management practices for Dungeness crabs along the Pacific Coast. To accomplish such change, a policy on Dungeness crab resource management (policy) was advanced. The policy will be coupled with regional management plans and supporting Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) proposals and brought to the public through advisory committee meetings and the BOF process during 1996/97.

Much discussion focused on population perpetuation by restricted harvest during the biological season. It was agreed that when a Dungeness crab fishery is prosecuted during the biological season other harvest restrictions must be implemented to offset mortalities associated with capture and handling during the molting, mating and egg hatch periods. ~ncreasing the size limit was identified as the most reasonable restriction given the current state of knowledge.

Products from the workshop included consensus on goals, policies, and management measures. Participants agreed to formulate regional management plans to accompany the policy submitted to the BOF for consideration. Each region will define a biological season by summarizing the best available information. A recommendation for a biological season will be made based on the regional summaries, research on mating pairs, and durometer assessment of shell condition. Each region will estimate a length/width relationship to evaluate the current pot gear escape ring size and alternative size limits. Results of these regional efforts will be field tested in Kachemak Bay to provide justification for a change in the pot gear definition and size limit for Dungeness crabs. To promote a unified effort to address Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP), a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be drafted between the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to enhance coordination of sample collection.

AGENDA

A draft agenda was sent to participants for review prior to the workshop to seek volunteers to lead discussions on agenda topics. The agenda was modified slightly to accommodate weather delays and a review of the 1986 Dungeness crab workshop. The following agenda reflects these corresponding changes and serves as an outline of the meeting.

February 1-3, 1995 Bidarka Best Western, Homer, Alaska

Feb. 1. Mornins Session: 11:OO am - 1:00 pm

I. Introductions of Participants (Note: there was some confusion about who was who; the problem persisted throughout the meeting but by the final day participants admitted their real identity to protect the innocent .

11. Opening Remarks: Meeting purpose and desired products - Paul Larson

111. Meeting Agenda: Modify and adopt - Peggy Murphy

IV. Review of the 1986 Dungeness crab workshop - Gordon Kruse

V. Review of Pacific Northwest Coast Management - Steve Barry

Feb. 1. Afternoon Session: 1:15 pm - 6:00 pm

VI. Review of Alaska Area Management

A. Westward - A1 Spalinger/Dave Jackson

B. Cook Inlet - A1 Kimker/Rich Gustafson

C. Prince William Sound - Charlie Trowbridge

D. Southeast and Yakutat - Tim Koeneman/Ken Imamura

VII. Review of Dungeness Crab Biology - Gordon Kruse

VIII. Discussion Topics

A. Biodegradable Gear - A1 Kimker

Feb. 2. Morninq Session: 8:00 am - 12:OO noon

VIII. Discussion Topics

B. Handling ~ortality - Gordon Kruse

C. PSP - Peggy Murphy

D. Limited Entry - Kurt Schelle

E. Size Limits

Feb. 2. Afternoon Session: 1:15 pm - 5:30 pm

F. Fishing Seasons

IX.. Dungeness Crab Management Goals

A. Active versus Passive Management - Gordon Kruse

B. Strawman BOF policy Statement - Paul Larson

Feb. 3. Morninq Session: 8:00 am - 12:OO noon

IX. Dungeness Crab Management Goals (continued)

C. Review Revised BOF Policy Statement

D. Need for Statewide Management Plan or ~egional Plans

X. Major Board of Fisheries Proposals

Feb. 3. Afternoon Session: 1:00 pm - 2 : 4 5 pm

XI. Needed Analyses, Research or Funding Proposals

XII. Work Groups and Staff Assignments

A. Industry Involvement, Advisory Committees

B. Additional Meetings

Review of the 1986 Dungeness Crab Management Workshop

A similar workshop was held in Anchorage, November 4-6, 1986. Tim Koeneman's July 6, 1994 memorandum to Doug Mecum reviewed the meeting (Appendix B) . Salient points are documented here. Consensus was reached on management obj ectives, concerns and needs. Three management objectives were identified: (1) fishing seasons to protect crab during primary molting periods; (2) manage for the long-term by using guideline harvest levels (GHLs); and ( 3 ) manage for a multiple age structure. Concerns included catch and handling mortalities, detrimental effects of fishing during mating season, and decline in stock productivity as indexed by CPUE and total harvest. Numerous needs were listed for major stocks as a result of poor support for Dungeness crab research and management programs: (1) establish and maintain catch and dockside sampling programs; (2) identify molting and mating periods; (3 quantify handling mortality; (4) document growth, mortality and tag loss; and ( 5 ) quantify shell condition.

Participants in the 1986 workshop could not agree on a biological season. At issue were impacts of implementing fishing seasons at the 1987 BOF meeting; uncertainty about the effects of a fishing season on a fleet and the exact closure dates to protect softshell crab; and whether fishery closure was necessary during mating.

Two of four products to be generated after the meeting were realized. Gordon Kruse provided a preliminary analysis titled asis is for a Dungeness Crab Size Limit" dated November 19, 1986 and Dana Schmidt completed a document titled valuation of Yield Loss in the 1986 Kodiak Dungeness (Cancer magister) Fishery Related to Softshell Crab Sortingl1 dated November 26, 1986. either a problem statement or a report on fleet impacts of a fishing season were completed.

In summary, ~ i m Koeneman noted the Dungeness crab fleet is concerned about continued viability of the fisheries as evidenced by implementation of limited entry in Cook Inlet, a CFEC moratorium in Southeast Alaska and a request for a limited entry program in Kodiak since 1986. Peggy Murphy also pointed out that considerable progress had been made on resolving the effects of capture and handling on Dungeness crabs in Alaska and these results should have bearing on fishing seasons.

Pacific Coast Dungeness Crab Management

Mr. Steve Barry, a veteran Dungeness crab manager, from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDF&W) was invited to participate in the workshop and review the goals, objectives, management measures and limited entry programs for Dungeness crab fisheries in California, Oregon, and Washington and the rationale for 3-S management.

Steve gave a brief review of historic harvest of Dungeness crab along the pacific Coast (Appendix C) . Average Dungeness crab catch since the early 1950s is 8.0, 9.5 and 8.2 million pounds in Washington (WA), Oregon (OR) and California (CA). Effort (vessels and pots) increased dramatically in WA following a rebound in commercial catch in 1987. Effort in OR has increased since the early 1970s. The Dungeness crab resource in WA, OR, and CA is characterized as healthy. The resource appears unaffected by the tremendous increase in fishing effort and exploitation rates in excess of 90% as evidenced by persistence of similar magnitudes in periodic cycles in catch. Steve felt if crabs weren't caught at 4 years of age, they would die of senescence. He also noted that recruitment appears to be driven by currents: favorable transport results in higher catches. Steve attributed stock perpetuation to regular recruitment and the relatively short life span of 4-5 years for Dungeness crabs in WA.

The management goal for WDFSLW is to optimize the health of the resource. This is essentially accomplished through 3-S management. The 6 and 1/4 inch size limit that was set by the legislature in 1927 appears to be working. The minimum size protects mature males (100-158 mm) and females at least two years before they are susceptible to the fishery. A male-only harvest is necessary to protect egg bearing females. Steve did not agree with CA harvest of female crabs greater than 5 and 3/4 inches. He has observed that bigger females have a bigger egg mass. Coordination of seasons has been problematic along the CA, OR, and WA coast. The tri-state Dungeness crab committee was formed in 1992 to provide for a coastwide season opening of December 1 to avoid the soft shell period and effort shifts inherent to the previous progressive season openings for each state, A test fishery is conducted each fall prior to the scheduled fishing season to gauge Dungeness crab shell condition using meat recovery tests. Adjustments in the opening date to allow for extended soft shell periods follow specific procedures outlined in a MOU between the directors of the fishery agencies in CA, OR and WA (Appendix C). In WA, 40-55% of catch is landed in the first 30 days with 60-80% of the catch taken offshore outside of 3 miles. Seasons close July 15, August 15 and September 15 in CA, OR and WA. There is concern that recruits may be molting in late summer and early fall. This problem may be magnified by occurrence of more softshell crab further offshore and a shift in effort further offshore with the shortening of the salmon troll season during the 1980s. Steve emphasized that fishing on soft shell crab is an economic waste. Curtailing fishing earlier in the summer is a likely solution but implementation of limited entry is currently a higher a priority.

A bill limiting entry in WA Dungeness crab fisheries was adopted in 1993/94. The bill would create eligibility for 200 permanent licenses and 60 licenses that would expire in 1999. Additionally, growth in vessel fishing capacity would be limited to a 10 ft increase in vessel length every 5 years. Oregon hopes to have

limited entry instituted in 1995. A bill for limiting entry in CA has been drafted which prohibits any increases in vessel length.

There is no directed survey of Dungeness crab abundance and correspondingly no information collected on female crabs. The annual budget for Dungeness crab in WA is approximately $70,000 which does not include Steve's salary and two samplers. Research on Dungeness crabs in Washington has been carried out by a number of students working with David Armstrong at the university of Washington. Steve has also relied on observations of crab carapaces along beaches from molting crabs and mortalities caused by spraying of oyster beds.

Westward Region Dungeness Crab Management

Dave Jackson explained that there are four management areas defined for Dungeness crabs in Westward Region: Kodiak, Alaska Peninsula, North Peninsula and Aleutians (Appendix D), Currently, 30 vessels fish for Dungeness crabs in this region. Dungeness crabs were first harvested in the Kodiak area in 1961. The catch peaked at over 6.5 million pounds in 1968. The number of landings in ~odiak follows general trends in catch but does not correspond directly with the magnitude of the catch indicating it is also a function of other fisheries and markets. The Alaska Peninsula fishery peaked at over 1.2 million pounds of Dungeness crabs twice; once during the year of inception 1968 and again in 1983. Catch and effort are sporadic. The Alaska Peninsula management area has superexclusive registration so that vessels that fish this area for Dungeness crabs can not fish elsewhere for Dungeness crabs. Harvest from the North Peninsula management area was reported for the first time in 1994. All crabs sampled dockside ranged from 165 to 180 mm, with no skip molts and only one post recruit (198 mm) crab recorded. Dungeness crab are harvested around Unalaska Island in the Aleutian management area. This fishery began in 1974 and peaked at 90,000 pounds in 1984. From 1984 to 1994, harvest averaged 10,000 pounds.

A season opening date of June 15 was set in the Westward region to protect softshell king crabs. The closing date was established to prevent gear loss by getting gear off the grounds prior to severe winter weather. The majority of Dungeness crab product is landed in the Westward Region between June 15 and September 15.

There are no Dungeness crab research or assessment projects in the Westward region. Opportunistic dockside sampling has been limited to the port of Kodiak. Approximately 10% of the landings are sampled annually, however, in some years no dockside sampling occurred even though a fishery was prosecuted (e. g. 1990 and 1992) . The width, shell condition and durometer reading are recorded for each crab taken from a bucket sample dockside. Fifty crabs are sampled for average weight and a limited interview with the skipper obtains information on area sampled, number of pot lifts, and

estimated catch.

A1 Spalinger noted that a large year class of Dungeness crabs ranging from 140-150 mrn has been seen in ~hignik Bay in ADF&GJs annual trawl survey. In addition, bycatch of these crabs has been high in the salmon seine fishery. However, legal size crabs have not been documented and therefore no fishery has occurred in the area. ~ishing for Dungeness crabs around Afognak Island has ceased and a decline in abundance was attributed to predation by sea otters, whos abundance has surged in the area.

Central Region Dungeness Crab Management

Cook Inlet

A1 ~imker discussed the Dungeness crab fishery in the Cook Inlet management area (Appendices E and 0). Some Dungeness crabs are taken in the Kamishak and Central area districts of Cook Inlet but the majority are harvested from the Southern District. The fishery began in 1978 and peaked at over 2.2 million pounds in 1979. Average harvest from 1978 until the Southern district was closed in 1991 was 1.01 million pounds. Crab were caught soon after molting and recruit to the gear at legal size in June, July, and August. Seventy three percent of the historic harvest occurred in July, August and September.

The BOF significantly changed regulations for commercial harvest of Dungeness crabs in Cook Inlet in 1994. The Southern District was divided into two subdistricts: east and west of Homer Spit. Different seasons, allowable depths fished and pot limits were implemented for the two subdistricts along with gear requirements. Limited entry was instituted in Cook Inlet for Dungeness crabs in 1993. A total of 101 pot fishermen and 2 ring net fishermen were permitted. Recreational harvest of Dungeness crabs in the Southern District is significant and the BOF has restricted the possession limit to 5 crabs and established a harvest season.

A trawl assessment survey for groundfish and Tanner crabs begun in 1989 also incidentally catches Dungeness crabs in deep water. This tool has proven reliable for monitoring cohort strength from size distributions. Recruit crabs documented in the 1989 survey were fully recruited to the trawl gear by 1992. Subsequent heavy skip molting and natural mortality are apparent from the survey width frequencies and have resulted in reduced legal abundance compared to that originally anticipated from previous year's data. A pot survey is also conducted in shallow waters in May through August to assess Dungeness crab shell condition. Local commercial fishermen were instrumental in design of the pot survey. Commercial Dungeness crab pot gear with the escape rings sewn closed are used but small crab are still not retained. Exoskeletons from small

crabs were collected from area beaches in the fall of 1994. They probably represent two cohorts of reasonable magnitude that should recruit to the trawl survey gear in 1995.

Dockside sampling and skipper interviews are conducted during a commercial fishery for Dungeness crab in Cook Inlet. Shell width, condition and durometer measurements are taken from 50 to 100 crabs. Average weight is estimated from a bucket sample.

A1 noted that the depressed population abundance has concentrated most crabs east of the spit and that shell condition monitoring in this area has documented less than 10% softshell crab at any one time. He explained that the molt can extend from late April through mid-September in any given year but usually peaks in June and July. Molting generally occurs somewhat earlier in the waters east of Homer Spit than in the waters west of the Spit where the influence of Cook Inlet is greater.

Prince ~illiam Sound

Charlie Trowbridge reviewed Dungeness crab management in Prince William Sound (Appendix F). Three districts have been designated for management of Dungeness crab in Prince William Sound: The Northern, Orca Inlet and Copper River Districts. The Northern District has never shown significant production and the Orca Inlet District has been closed since 1980. Dungeness crab stock declines in this area were attributed to a loss of habitat in the 1964 earthquake and to a significant increase in sea otter abundance. Future fishing in the area would be regulated by a 100 pot limit.

Dungeness crabs have been commercially harvested from the Copper River District since 1969. Harvests have declined from1.5 million pounds in 1981 to 70,000 pounds in 1991 followed by the fishery closure in 1992. The number of vessels participating in the fishery follows the trend in harvest with the exception of the 1990 and 1991 season when effort remained high while catches declined. Regulations include a 250 pot limit, superexclusive registration and buoy marking.

Since 1985, a survey has been conducted in the Copper River District to assess Dungeness crab shell condition. An annual index of crab abundance from this survey tracks very well with the commercial harvest. A comparison of catch per pot of legal-size, new shell and old shell male crabs, and sublegal new shell and old shell male crabs, demonstrates a higher degree of skip-molting in sublegal crabs than legal crabs. As a result of the survey work, a fair amount of data has been accumulated that may be useful for analysis of Dungeness crab growth.

Bycatch of Dungeness crabs in the Copper River drift gillnet fishery was identified as a major concern. Two studies were

suggested: one on the effect of number of hanging mesh on sockeye catch and Dungeness crab bycatch and a second to determine if significant correlation exists between changes in gillnet efficiency and the decline in crab catches.

Southeast Region Dungeness Crab Management

Southeast

Tim Koeneman reviewed the catch history and management of Dungeness crabs in Southeast Alaska (Appendix G). Dungeness crab fisheries since 1960 have produced over 1 million pounds annually except from 1970 to 1980. ~ighest harvest was recorded in 1991 with over 4.6 million pounds landed. Effort began to escalate in 1981 and peaked in 1991 at 317 vessels. The number of vessels does not correspond directly with catch. Participants in Dungeness crab fisheries in Southeast Alaska are highly diversified and many fish other fisheries. The fall fishery harvests far less Dungeness crabs than the summer fishery. Similar effort levels occurred in both fishing periods during the 1980s. In 1990 effort dropped off during the fall fishery.

Port sampling occurs only in Petersburg where 60-80% of the total Southeast Alaska harvest is landed, Two buckets with 100-150 crab per bucket are sampled from selected deliveries to assess carapace width, shell condition and average weight. Skippers are interviewed for location fished, pots lifted and an estimate of total catch.

Tim compared width frequencies of sampled crabs and noted pulses of recruits entering the fishery in 1985, 1990 and 1994. Numbers of old shell crabs were highest in between the years with influxes of smaller crabs. He feels that Dungeness crabs recruit to the fishery at age 3 to 4 and are then fished for another 3 years. Growth may be variable from area to area so carry over of recruits may occur in some areas but not others. Other gauges of year class strength used for management include the average and maximum size and average weight. Catch per unit of effort generally declines over the course of the season.

Yakutat

Tim Koeneman discussed the Dungeness crab fishery in the Yakutat area (Appendix H). The fishery was developed by vessels from WA and over 80% of the production is still taken by non-residents. Comparison of catches from 1960 to 1994 showed a peak harvest of over 5.1 million pounds in 1982, Number of permits in the fishery tracked with the catch in earlier years but has increased in recent years even with a significant drop in the harvest. A summer and

fall fishery are prosecuted in Yakutat but the percent of the total harvest and permits fished has always been low in the fall.

Port sampling in Yakutat has been conducted annually on an opportunistic basis because there is no shellfish port sampler in the area. Unfortunately, this approach cannot provide a representative sample of the landed crabs. For example, in 1994 all samples came from Icy Bay and none from other areas along the outer coast. Otherwise the port sampling and data collection methods are the same as in Southeast.

Width frequencies from port sampling data demonstrate some movement of year classes through the fishery, Crabs in Yakutat are much larger on the average than elsewhere in the state although average size and width have decreased in recent years.

Timindicated that Dungeness crabs molt first near Cape Fairweather then the molt moves up the coast. Crabs have been soft shelled in Icy Bay in May but some soft shells have been encountered as late as July. The current season is a compromise between fishermen, biologists and processors.

Dungeness Crab ~iology

Gordon Kruse discussed Dungeness crab biology and comparedmeasures of life history features from CA to Alaska (~ppendix I) . Dungeness crabs are brachyuran crabs. They are widely distributed from Monterey Bay, California to the ~ribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. The most northerly commercial concentrations have occurred in Cook Inlet. These crabs are found from the intertidal to 180 m but the majority occur < 40 m on sandy/muddy bottom. Female Dungeness crabs are relatively sedentary compared to males: females move less than 2 km while tagging data from male crabs indicates they move up to 135 km.

Growth of Dungeness crabs varies with latitude implicating temperature as an important regulating factor. Dungeness crabs in California grow much faster than crabs in Alaska. Males reach legal size at age 2 in California, age 3.5 in Washington, age 4 in British Columbia and age 5 in Southeast Alaska. Maximum age was estimated at 8 years in British Columbia and maximum size is recorded as 254 mm carapace width (CW).

Size at functional maturity decreases with increasing latitude: 140 mm and 100 mm CW for males and females in British Columbia and 120 mrn and 80 mrn in Southeast Alaska. Mating pairs data show males are larger than the females they grasp but no strong size relationships have been demonstrated. Female Dungeness crabs can retain viable sperm up to 2 years and are highly fecund producing up to 2.5 million eggs.

There is a geographic continuum for documented timing of molting and mating, egg extrusion and egg hatch that Gordon summarized in a table (Appendix I). Female crabs in California molt and mate from March - June compared to May - June in washington, and September - November in Southeast Alaska. There was some discussion on timing of mating differing between primiparous and multiparous females. Eggs are extruded in September and October in California, October -December in Washington, September - February in British Columbia, and October to November in Southeast Alaska. Eggs hatch from December - February in central California, January - March in northern California and Washington, April in British Columbia, and April - June in Southeast Alaska. The larval period ranges from 105 to 125 days in central California and is a function of water temperature. There are 5 planktonic zoeal stages that occur in the water column over 80 to 95 days and one megalops stage occurring over 25 to 30 days. The first zoeal stage appears in December' - early January in California and from April - August in Southeast Alaska. Megalops occur from April - June in California and July - August in Southeast Alaska.

Dungeness crabs prey on bivalves, barnacles, and small crabs and are also known to be cannibalistic. In turn, Dungeness crab zoea are eaten by coho salmon and adult Dungeness crabs are preyed upon by halibut, rays and sculpins. Instantaneous mortality rate is estimated from 0.16 to 2.5 or a mortality rate of 15 to 91% annually. Population abundance as reflected by catch appears to cycle coastwide on a 9-10 year cycle. Possible contributors to this periodicity include environmental forcing, density dependence, predation and parasitism. Stock differentiation using allozymes has not been successful making Dungeness crabs a good candidate for DNA sequencing.

Biodegradable Gear

A1 Kimker reviewed the work completed to date on biodegradable escape mechanisms for pot gear. Readers are referred to a report by Kruse and Kimker (1993) for more details. In 1990 the BOF implemented a regulation that required escape mechanisms in shellfish and bottomfish pots be secured with 100% cotton twine not to exceed 30 thread. In 1991 the BOF changed the requirement for Dungeness crab pots allowing the pot lid tie down to be secured with a minimum of 60 thread twine. Cotton twine, poses several problems in its' application to minimize ghost fishing. Performance of cotton twine is not consistent due to a number of factors: variance in the thread winding tensions from different manufacturers, handling of the twine prior to installation, pot exposure before emersion, water temperature, and stress fromweight of pot contents. It is difficult to determine twine composition and whether it is designed to break within the mandated time. Burning the twine does leave a residue if it is composed of synthetic material but this method is problematic if the twine is

wet as is often the case in the field. Because of these problems, galvanic timed release (GTR) devices have been proposed to the BOF as an alternative. Studies of GTRs show that breakage times are predictable and accurate for webbed crab pots in the Northern Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. Testing of a 30 day GTR on a Dungeness crab pot however, resulted in breakage within one week. This escalated decomposition was attributed to proximity of the GTR to the stainless steel wire composing the pot lid. Therefore, ADF&G staff recommended that the BOF reject the proposal for GTRs on Dungeness crab pots.

Discussion ensued about the need for a standardized pot definition. Estimating effort and enforcing gear limits in personal use, sport and subsistence fisheries is complicated by the array of pot types allowed under current regulations. This problem has been acute in Kachemak Bay, where personal use and sport harvest of shellfish is high (Appendix J) . Prospecting with sport gear prior to commercial seasons was also identified as an enforcement issue, Paul Larson and Doug Mecum volunteered to lead development of a BOF proposal to address this issue.

Handling Mortality

Handling mortality was reviewed by Gordon Kruse (Appendix K). He divided mortality into three categories: catching mortality, ghost fishing, and handling mortality. Catching mortality results from cannibalism or starvation prior to pot retrieval and is difficult to quantify. Ghost fishing refers to capture, retention and death of crabs in lost gear. Dungeness crab pot loss in the Fraser River estuary was estimated by Breen (1987) to be 11% with lost pot contents equaling 7% of the catch. Handling mortality results from injuries incurred during capture, handling and release.

Extent of handling mortality in Dungeness crabs is a function of shell condition and severity of the injury. There has been a fair amount of research done on handling mortality in Dungeness crabs. Steve Barry's work along the Washington Coast in the 1970's simulated commercial processing of crabs and looked at short term effects. Mortality of soft shell crabs was 2 to 20 times higher than for hard-shell crabs and doubled from a single handling to repeated (3x) handling. A two-month study of the effects of repeated handling on Dungeness crabs in Alaska by Tom Shirley resulted in 100% mortality of crabs handled 4 times compared to 10% mortality of contro.1 crabs. Hard-shell Dungeness crabs tagged in Kodiak had two times the recovery rate of softshell crabs. Early work by Waldron (1958) in the Pacific Northwest suggested lower recovery rates of crabs that had lost 1-2 appendages versus uninjured crabs. Limb loss from Dungeness crabs during fishing and discarding has been estimated between 18 to 62%.

Fishing effects can range from immediate mortality, due to a

crushed carapace, to sublethal effects. Reduced growth increment or molting probability due to injury or stress can lead to reduced fecundity or egg loss. Reduced visual acuity due to exposure in sun light may increase predation or decrease foraging ability.

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning

Peggy Murphy presented an overview of Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in Dungeness Crabs. PSP is a product of a powerful toxin produced by a dinoflagellate, Gonyaulax catanella. The toxin that causes PSP consists of 12 to 18 chemicals appearing in different amounts in different organisms. Marine creatures ingest the dinoflagellate and concentrate the toxin.

PSP is a public health concern. PSP is deadly eg. Deadmans Reach in Peril Strait named after the death of 100 men from Captain Baranoff's expedition who ingested mussels. A woman on Kodiak Island also perished the summer of 1994 after eating PSP tainted mussels. Dungeness crabs accumulate PSP in the hepatopancreas (liver) through ingestion of prey items like clam siphons where the toxin is known to concentrate. Some ethnic customs do encompass consumption of crab liver. However, Dungeness crab muscle is the most commonly consumed part of a crab and does not accumulate the toxin.

Shellfish are tested for PSP with a rather crude but effective means: grind up the viscera of the shellfish, inject it into a mouse and watch what happens (1 gram of toxin would kill 5 million mice in 15 minutes). The Food and Drug Administration has set an action level of 80 pg/100 gm of Dungeness crab viscera. A sample in excess of this standard triggers regulatory action - crab evisceration or harvest area monitoring.

PSP is also costly. Estimated cost by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to analyze a single Dungeness crab for PSP is $100. This does not include costs for laboratory staff or multiagency efforts to collect crabs for PSP monitoring. Regulatory action requiring crab evisceration causes economic loss to industry. In 1991, the year prior to identification of PSP in Alaska Dungeness crabs, 8,84 million lbs were landed worth an estimated $11.83 million. More than 50% of the catch and 74% of the wholesale value of the statewide commercial harvest of Dungeness crabs in 1991 could be attributed to live and whole cooked crabs.

Given health and economic problems posed by PSP in Dungeness crabs. it seems reasonable objectives for management would be: 1) public safety; and 2) optimum utilization of the resource. Both these objectives can be realized if seasonality of PSP can be identified and harvest periods defined to correspond with safe periods.

In California, records from PSP monitoring programs instituted in 1962 along the entire coast demonstrate enormous variation in the intensity, geographical distribution and timing of toxin-producing dinoflagellate blooms. Comparisons of toxin values along the coast and within bays with those on the open coast, indicates major blooms originate in the ocean, not within bays. PSP prevention in California is approached with a three part program: a quarantine period or closed season for mussels (May 1 - October 311, a monitoring program for information on toxin levels in other native species and commercially produced Pacific oysters(Crassostrea gigas Thunberg), and a public education program.

Oregon has continuously monitored PSP levels in California mussels (Mytilus californianus Conrad) along the open coast and from Pacific oysters in bays since 1970. In 1988, the program was expanded from 8 to 17 regular sampling stations. Weekly samples are collected from April to October. As found along the California coast, blooms of toxin-producing dinoflagellates appear to be initiated offshore rather than in bays.

Episodes of PSP along the Washington coast also appear to be caused by blooms originating of fshore and they have occurred during, or at the cessation of, strong El nifio/Southern Oscillation events. In contrast to coastal blooms, blooms in inland waters of Washington originate in situ, and toxicity may range from extremely localized to widespread. Onset of early summer blooms and mussel toxicity in an inland bay has been shown to be dependent on development of a surface water layer with favorable temperatures to a depth of several meters. Mussel toxicity closely reflects the seasonality of the toxin-producing dinoflagellate in Washington but butter clams (Saxidomus giganteus Deshayes) and pink scallops (Chlamys hastata Sowerby) do not. These two species have maintained toxin levels above 80 pg year around in some areas. The monitoring program started in Washington in 1957 serves to regulate closures for both commercial and recreational harvests. The species monitored vary by area and closures vary widely with circumstances.

PSP in Dungeness crabs was first documented in British Columbia in 1992 and again in 1993. The action level in ~ritish Columbia is the same as in the United States but areas are closed to all harvest if samples exceed the action level. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans, British Columbia, has been opportunistically monitoring PSP in butter clams since 1962. A regular monitoring program for mussels with 63 permanent stations on the W. coast of Vancouver Island and 10 stations on the E. coast was begun in 1989, and 1983 respectively. Samples are taken weekly from May through October and biweekly November through April. Verification samples are also taken for geoduck, Dungeness crabs, and commercial oyster and littleneck clam farms. They do not use toxin levels from mussel samples to close Dungeness crab fisheries.

In Alaska, a two part monitoring program has been established in 10

areas by DEC for PSP in Dungeness crabs. The first part is pre- season monitoring of commercial harvest areas in cooperation with other agencies to acquire samples. The second part is in-season monitoring to determine levels of toxin in product being harvested through weekly sampling. The DEC has established an action level of 70 pg/100 gm of PSP toxin in viscera in an attempt to allow a buffer for response time. Live and whole cooked Dungeness crabs may be marketed unless PSP levels exceed the action level of 70 pg/100 gm in the specific area.

Monitoring areas are: 1. Southeast Alaska (Area 1 = districts 1,2,3,4,6,7,8; Area 2 = districts 5,9,10,12,13; and Area 3 = 11,14,15,16); 2. Yakutat; 3. Prince William Sound; 4. Cook Inlet (including the eastern part of the ~enai Peninsula to south of Seward) ; 5. Kodiak Island (Northern, Southern and ~ainland); and 6. Alaska Peninsula (from Scotch Cap north to Cape ~umlin).

Guidelines for monitoring are: 1, If the results of the samples are 0-50 pg then weekly monitoring will be continued in that area. 2. If any one sample exceeds 50 pg but is less than 70 pg, then samples will be collected twice a week. Sampling will continue even if the PSP levels rise above the action level. 3. If any sample is >70 pg, then (1) all harvested product from that area from that point on must be totally eviscerated at the processing facility where the product is landed, and (2 ) monitoring of areas will continue. 4. If the PSP level drops below the 70 pg during the season for two consecutive weeks, whole cooked or live sales will be allowed.

The DEC Palmer Laboratory provided graphs of PSP toxin levels in each management area by sampling period in 1993 and 1994 (Appendix L). DEC requested help from ADF&G in obtaining samples of Dungeness crabs prior to the fishing season. To facilitate communications and sample acquisition, two recommendations were forwarded from the workshop participants. First, a memorandum of understanding should be developed between DEC and ADF&G outlining objectives of a joint sampling program and appropriate chain of command for communications. Second, a preseason meeting should be scheduled annually between ADF&G and DEC to review the previous season and coordinate PSP sampling program for the current season.

Limited Entry

Kurt Schelle of the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC) presented on overview of the Alaska limited entry program. The program was initiated in 1973 for salmon fisheries. The law is very complex and explicit leaving little discretionary authority.

Basically, it limits the number of fishermen in a fishery and nothing more. The intent of the limited entry program is to slow down or arrest growth of a fleet and it's fishing capacity. Currently, there are 50 fisheries in Alaska operating under limited entry permits.

Ideally, fisheries coming under the limited entry law have a single gear type and the maximum amount of gear has already'been defined by the BOF. An additional advantage would be for all fisherman to participate in the fishery full time because part time fishermen can either increase to full time or sell their permit to a full time fishermen resulting in an increase in effort. A recent example of adverse change after limitation is the Chatham Strait sablefish fishery where permits were sold to larger vessels resulting in more fishing pressure.

Limiting' entry for crab fisheries is problematic because of the tremendous variety in the amount and type of gear fished and the size of participating vessels. Additionally, the owner and operator are not always the same. This problem recently came up for a petition to limit scallop fisheries where the permits have been issued to an individual instead of a vessel.

Kurt reviewed the status of limited entry programs for crab fisheries. In Cook Inlet, Dungeness crab is limited and shrimp, king and Tanner crab fisheries have petitioned for limitation. The CFEC has been petitioned to limit entry for shrimp in Prince William Sound. Both the king and Tanner crab fisheries in Southeast Alaska are under limited entry. The CFEC placed a moratorium on the Southeast Dungeness crab fishery in 1992 which is due to expire January 2, 1996. Discussions with industry on how to craft the Southeast program have resulted in numerous ideas including individual fishing quotas, tiered pot limits, reduced pot limits, and fractional licensing or pots. Given the questions about the effectiveness of limited entry in suppressing fishing effort and intensity in crab fisheries, legislation was introduced by industry to the 1995 legislature that would allow CFEC to restrict the fishing capacity of all fisheries entering into a limitation program (Appendix M) . This legislation should serve to set a ceiling on fishing capacity of a fishing fleet. It would enable CFEC to implement a program where limited entry permits would be tied to a vessel size, pot limits or BOF specified quantities of gear. Workshop participants agreed that regional positions on the legislation would be submitted to Paul Larson for synthesis into a Department position.

S i z e Limits

The current size limit for Dungeness crabs in Alaska is 6.5 inches (165 mm) CW. This was based on the size limit set in Washington plus 1/4 inch. Gordon Kruse reviewed a preliminary yield/recruit

analysis applicable to Southeast Dungeness crabs that he completed after the 1986 Dungeness crab workshop. Using an instantaneous natural mortality (M) of 0.3, the present size limit allowed most (~90%) males the opportunity to mate at least once before they become legal size and is close to the optimum size for greatest yield from any single cohort. If M is higher, a lower size limit would be optimum. This balance between size at maturity versus size of crabs taken in the fishery assumes animals mature at the same size even if growth rate changes.

Gordon also reviewed available data on size limits. There is tag recovery data from work done in ~odiak by David ~icks on exposure of soft-shelled Dungeness crabs and tag recovery data collected in Southeast Alaska by Carl Leaman. The latter is slated for completion of an analysis of growth in fall 1995 by Peggy Murphy, Gordon Kruse, and Marianne Johnson. Dungeness crabs are also being collected in Glacier Bay to investigate effects of exploitation on resident stocks.

A size limit should allow crabs at least a single opportunity to mate prior to legal retention during a fishery. Theref ore knowledge of crab size at maturity is essential. Data on mating pairs has been collected in Southeast Alaska and a manuscript summarizing the data drafted by Gordon and Tom Shirley. These data could be coupled with male growth rates to evaluate the size limit. Steve Barry pointed out that the percent of females bearing eggs also serves as an indicator that males are functionally mature at the current size limit.

Studies conducted in Southeast Alaska need to be inventoried and summarized in a usable format. Data from Kodiak and prince ~illiam Sound need to be analyzed for growth rate. Dungeness crabs need to be collected in Cook Inlet to evaluate size at maturity in the northernmost commercially harvested stock. Ideally, mating pair data would be collected in all areas as length frequency data from Yakutat indicate size distributions are not comparable across the state. Participants concluded that a larger size limit acted as a buffer against the risks taken for prosecuting fisheries without adequate data and analysis,

To evaluate the current size limit, estimates of male Dungeness crab growth rate are to be compiled by each region. Regions will couple their growth rate with available mating pair data to estimate the number of mating opportunities between size at functional maturity and recruitment to the fishery.

Fishing Seasons

Commercial fishing for Dungeness crabs occurs throughout the year in Alaska (Appendix N). Season timing and duration vary by management area and district. Considerable debate ensued on the

need for a consistent definition of fishing seasons across the state to reflect a biological season rather than economic or weather driven seasons. In Southeast, Yakutat and ~odiak, cyclic stock abundance would suggest fishing effects are not strong and therefore the need for protection during sensitive life history stages is questionable. However, fishing through sensitive life history periods such as mating, molting, and egg bearing is not a sound management practice as evidenced from studies of handling mortality on Dungeness crabs. Mortality from handling is harvest foregone. Efforts to minimize fishing through the molting and mating period would decrease the probability of crabs incurring lethal and sublethal effects of fishing and increase reproductive potential and future recruits to the fishery.

At high abundance, handling mortality is greater due to higher encounter rates. Effects of directed fishing on crab survival become even more pronounced when extended molting and mating periods correspond to periods of higher abundance.

The molt period in Alaska including anomalous years was defined as May through September followed by mating. F'isheries prosecuted from November/December through April should avoid the most sensitive life history periods, Steve Barry suggested that input from processors on meat recovery could be used to refine fishing seasons,

In Southeast Alaska, the fishing season for all districts other than 1,2 and section 13B is driven by supply and demand economics. In Yakutat, and Kodiak crabs bury themselves and are not available to the gear in the early spring. winter fishing in these areas as well as Cook Inlet and the Copper River is questionable due to severe weather. The Kodiak Dungeness crab season was also set to avoid bycatch of king crabs. A1 Spalinger noted that crabs at the south end of Kodiak Island molt in August while crabs from the rest of the island molt earlier. Sequential opening dates from one end of Kodiak Island to the other were suggested.

The group concluded that fishing during sensitive life history periods would necessitate more conservative management to offset negative impacts on a stock.

Active versus Passive Management

Gordon Kruse briefly compared passive versus active management regimes for Dungeness crabs. Management by size and sex (2s) or size, sex, and season (3s) is passive. Active management would incorporate guideline harvest levels (GHL), quotas, or thresholds in addition to 3s . Washington's management is 3s but shell condition is evaluated to set the season opening date.

Cook Inlet's draft management plan is a good example of active

management (Appendix 0). The plan was drafted in response to the Southern District Dungeness crab fishery closure and defines a threshold CPUE from pot survey data for reopening the fishery of 15 adult male crab per pot (5 of which must be legal). It is the first plan for any crab stock in Alaska to specify a rebuilding strategy. The group commended A1 Kimker on his initiative and foresight.

Once the fishery reopens, fishing mortality and legal population size will be estimated to evaluate escapement. Current regulations for pot limits and restricted season length and depth fished will be readdressed with the BOF based on escapement performance. There was discussion on the discrepancy between the plan for Cook Inlet and what is realistic for other areas of the state. A1 emphasized that 3s management has not worked for any Southern district crab stock and justified the proposed plan based on very low numbers of Dungenes's crabs and high harvest rates compared to other areas. Other factors that contribute to the need for a rebuilding plan in Cook Inlet are infrequent recruitment associated with the fact that the area is the northerly limit of Dungeness crab distribution and recreational harvest using pot gear is intense in the area during the spring and summer months when Dungeness crabs mate and molt.

One additional concern raised about the plan was whether the reopening strategy is conservative enough to allow for rebuilding. However, A1 pointed out that, without fishing mortality data, the amount of escapement needed for a rebuilding schedule cannot be evaluated. Finally, the group suggested the plan be formatted by management measure similar to the "Management Plan for Westward Region King Crab Stocks".

Strawman BOF Policy Statement

Paul Larson presented a draft policy on Dungeness crab management modeled after the BOF policy on King and Tanner crabs (~ppendix P) . The group approved the goal, benefits, and policies sections of the policy and identified three key management measures that warranted additional discussion: thresholds, fishing seasons, and GHLs.

A threshold is the population level below which fishing does not occur. A threshold defined by CPUE and expressed as crabs per pot is problematic in that fishermen will increase soak time if CPUE is lower than desired. Another option would be to express threshold as a percentage of the low and high oscillations in catch. The group determined a consistent trigger for opening and closing fisheries statewide was not realistic and threshold definition should be tailored to area specific data. The group concluded that thresholds are an important management measure in the policy and should exist in regional management plans.

Fishing seasons should also be a part of the policy and can be

defined in area management plans. The group recognized that fishing seasons to protect crab during biological sensitive periods cannot be set in many areas because of lack of information. However, priority was assigned to protecting crabs during molting, then mating and finally egg hatching periods. The policy should define conditions under which we would not want to fish i.e., show that fishing during molting, mating, and egg hatch does result in mortality due to wastage and handling, lower quality.product, and damage to reproductive potential. High priority was also assigned to educating fishermen, processors and the general public about biological fishing seasons through advisory committees and the BOF.

Guideline harvest levels have not been used in Dungeness crab fisheries . Effective use should be in conjunction with harvest rates and stock abundance data. The group agreed that GHLs should be cast within the harvest rate management measure of the policy. Steve Ba.rry suggested that, if our goal is to promote maintenance of multiple age classes of mature crabs, we would be better served by larger size limits thus indirectly lowering the harvest rate and shortening the fishing season. Guideline harvest levels do not guarantee maintenance of a healthy population.

Participants were asked to review the policy and provide a copy of their comments to Paul Larson. Paul Larson will work with regional fishery management biologists A1 Spalinger, James Brady and Doug Mecum to draft a final policy statement for presentation to the BOF .

Statewide Versus Regional Management Plans

The group agreed that management plans for Dungeness crab should be developed by each region. The plan formats may vary somewhat by region but they should follow the format of the policy statement giving justification for management measures used and not used. Management plans were recognized as working documents to be revised as additional information and analyses become available. Plan developers were urged to strive for user friendliness as these plans will be reviewed by the public and provide integral support to the policy when it is reviewed with the BOF. The intent is to distribute the management plans and policy statement to the public prior to the 1997 BOF meeting cycle.

Board of ~isheries Proposals

A proposal to define a standardized non-commercial Dungeness crab pot will be drafted by Paul Larson and Doug Mecum. Currently, a myriad of pot types are fished for personal use, sport and subsistence harvest of Dungeness crabs. This results in enforcement problems and confusion between areas and users.

Proposals may be developed to address planned research on the number and size of escape rings in Dungeness crab pots. Carapace length width relationships will be analyzed by fishing area to determine whether current escape rings are of sufficient size to allow escapement of sublegal male and female crabs. Any changes will be field tested in Kachemak Bay by A1 ~imker with biometric review by Linda Brannian.

Regional management plans and the policy statement will also be brought before the BOF in 1997. Development of regional management plans may stimulate changes in fishing seasons, size limits and specification of other management measures such as thresholds which should be anticipated in supporting proposals.

Needed Analyses, Research or Funding Proposals

Discussions throughout the workshop often ended on the low note that the needed information was not available. Basic biological data critical to sound management of Dungeness crabs is lacking in most areas of the state. Lack of a dedicated funding for a program for Dungeness crab is at the crux of the problem. Southeast, Yakutat, and ~odiak rely strictly on port sampling to gather data. Time for port sampling of Dungeness crabs is often siphoned from other shellfish programs. Cook Inlet and the Copper River have port sampling and a survey to assess shell condition. Cook Inlet is unique in having a population indexing survey,

Top research priority was definition of molting and mating period since these data bear directly on setting fishing seasons. Second priority was identification of size at maturity necessary for setting size limits. This may change across areas of the state as evidenced by the significantly larger mean size of crabs in Yakutat than else where. Third priority was definition of egg bearing period and time of egg hatch. There is a notable lack of information on female Dungeness crabs. These data also impact fishing season.

Gordon Kruse will lead an effort to identify pockets of insufficient data and approaches to collect needed information. Reviews of existing durometer data, previous research, and ongoing studies will be used to outline knowledge of molting and mating periods and variables related to size limits. Summaries will be used as a guide to regions for developing sampling programs aimed at refining current definitions of molting and mating periods and size limits. Teams for this effort were identified by region: Southeast, Tim Koeneman and Doug Woodby; Central, A1 Kimker and Linda Brannian; and Westward, A1 Spalinger and Doug Pengilly.

Some members of the group felt there is need for a statewide Dungeness crab biologist. Of course this begs the question of funding as does any research effort, Paul Larson discussed our

funding options. A Dungeness sampling program could be funded with approval to receive test fish funds for this purpose by the legislature. Southeast and Central regions discussed the use of the R/V Montague to test fish for Dungeness crabs in Yakutat to collect biological data on this stock and raise funds for other needed research. Paul noted the department could also accept receipts from industry. Finally, applications to Sea Grant, Alaska Science and Technology Foundation, or other granting'agencies can be developed to fund short term research by the department or universities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All participants contributed to the success of this workshop. A1 Kimker, Bill Bechtol, and Rich Gustafson assisted with logistical details and local arrangements and were excellent area hosts. Steve Barry's (WDF&W) contributions to the meeting benefited all meeting participants and his time and commitment to resource conservation are appreciated. Kurt Schellels (CFEC) participation was most helpful in aiding our understanding of the complex system of limited entry and his contribution is appreciated. Kit Ballentine (DEC) and Rudy Chiang (DFO) assisted with documentation of PSP monitoring in Alaska and British Columbia. Dick Barrett (DEC) and the Palmer Laboratory provided helpful graphs of monthly PSP toxin levels. Neil Richmond (ODF&W) and Ron Warner (CF&G) provided useful summaries of Oregon and California catch and effort statistics. Paul Larson and Gordon Kruse were instrumental helping initiate' the workshop and drafting the agenda. James Brady and Doug Mecum shared notes on the workshop to aid in writing of this document. I appreciate the timely and thorough review of the manuscript by Gordon Kruse and Doug Mecum.

LITERATURE CITED

Breen, P.A. 1987. Mortality of Dungeness crabs caused by lost traps in the Fraser river estuary, ~ritish Columbia. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 7:429-435.

Kruse, G. H. and A. Kimker . 1993. Degradable escape mechanisms for pot gear: A summary report to the Alaska Board of Fisheries. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, Regional Information Report No. 5593-01, Juneau.

Waldron, K.D. 1958. The fishery and biology of the Dungeness crab (Cancer magister Dana) in Oregon waters. Fish Commission of Oregon, Contribution 24, Portland.

Appendix A

Dungeness crab management workshop participants, agency and work site.

Steve Barry, WDF&W, Montesano, WA. Bill Bechtol, ADF&G, Homer, AK. James Brady, ADF&G, Anchorage, AK. Linda Brannian, ADF&G, Anchorage, AK. Rich Gustafson, ADF&G, Homer, AK. John Hilsinger, ADF&G, Anchorage, AK. Ken Imamura, ADF&G, Douglas, AK. Dave Jackson, ADF&G, Kodiak, AK. A1 Kimker, ADF&G, Homer, AK. Tim Koeneman, ADF&G, Petersburg, AK. Gordon Kruse , ADF&G, Juneau, AK . Paul Larson, ADF&G, Juneau, AK. Doug Mecum, ADF&G, Douglas, AK. Peggy Murphy, ADF&G, Juneau, AK. Kurt Schelle, CFEC, Juneau, AK. A1 Spalinger, ADF&G, Kodiak, AK. Charlie Trowbridge, ADF&G, Cordova, AK.

Appendix B (p 1 of 4 )

MEMORANDUM

TO: Doug P/:ES7L7, . . Region 1 Coorazn2:cr CF1*!&9D D o u g l ~ ~

FROM: TinoL'?,lr K ~ € ~ ~ I T L E E - S h e l l f i s h Blologisc

CFX&DD pets rsburs

STATE OF ALASKA 5epar:nent cf 71sh and Game

DATE: j u ly 6, 1994

BILE NO : DUNGS 4 . A G 1

TELEPHONE NO: ( 9 0 7 ) 772-3801

SUE~J-ECT : S W 9~"igenes s Workshop Agenda .

RmJIEW OF 1985 XSETING. - We conducts6 a s i m i l a r workshop i n Anchorage OE Novernber 4 - 6 , 1986. I have the agene2, n c t e s 2nd product i f you a r e i n t e r e s t e d . M~ch of ths r e s t of ch2 rsv iew cext below can be foUd i n e e r a i l i n a memorandum from Cordon t o Ken Farksr da ted Novwber 17 , 1 9 8 6 .

1.. There wers susposed t o be four products which would. provl5e a dra f t d c c ~ n e x t on Dugenes s managernent :

1. P r c b l e ~ . S i z t s r n ~ n t by J o b Hrls inger; 2 . 3 i o l c c i c a l - - Season Jus t iE ica t ion and Yield Loss Due t o Xandling Sof t - s h e 1 ~ s by Dana Schmidt; - 3 . Flssc ,mrgzcts of a Fishing Season by Fred Gaffney; 4 . 5 - n . l u t z i o ~ of Currect Size L i m i t by Gordon Kruse.

As f a r as I k ~ w Gordon Kruse provided a prel iminary analysis e n t i t l e d "Basis For a Dmgeness Crab Size L i m i t " da ted November 1 9 , 1 9 8 6 , and Dam S ~ l - ~ ~ i k t c snp le t ed a docwent e n t i t l e d " Zvaluation of Yield Loss of t h e 1986 Ko&iak Dcngenss (Cazcer maais te r ) Fishery Related t o Sof t she l l Crab Sor t ing" dated Novenber 2 6 , 1986. I do not b e l i e v e t h a i t he P r a k l s r n S c a t ~ n s n t o r Fleet Impacts assigxnents were aczcmpLis>e<.

5 . There v:srs t h r e main s t a f f concerns r e l a = i v e t o the cur rent managernsnt rscirne t h a ~ received conse?sus from s t a f f present:

1. Cz:ch -16 h n d l i n g morzz l i t ies of s o f r s h e l l crab. 2 . Dez r l inen t~ l e f f e c t s of fishzng during mating season. 3 . Decline i n s tock p rozuc t iv i ty as indexed by CPUE and t o t 2 1 h ~ l r i 2 s E .

C. There W S T S t h r s s main objec t ives t h a t managernent should work toward by C ~ ~ S E ~ S L ~ :

1. Fish izg sezsons t h a t protect crab during primary molting per lo&. 2 . ?kcage f c r t h s longtern by using GELS. 3 . EenacE f ~ r m c l t i g l e ass c l a s s s t r u c i x r e .

D. There x2s a csnsensus t h a t support f o r Dmgeness crab r e sea rch and managerent programs was general ly poor a ~ d should be much h ighe r on t h e Divis lcns l i s t of p r i o r i t i e s . Needs included:

1. Ccrch dockside sa. .pling programs f o r the major f i s h e r i e s . 2 . I d s n t i f y n c l t i n g and acing periods i n a l l ma jo r s tocks . 3 . Qcax t i fy handling mor ta l i ty . 4 . S c l ~ d y . grcwch, - mcr ta l i ry and t ag l o s s . 5 . Q c z n t ~ r y s h e l l condi t ion (durometer nechod) .

Appendix B ( p 2 of 4 )

Thrse azfzs of disagreement occurre$: -. 1. I ~ , s a c z s cf implenencing f i s 5 i n c seasocs ac t h e 1987 120F rneet:r.q.

E . Lack of GELZ t o supporz seascn c losu res . 5 . Scazewide season may jeopardize ex i s r ing seasons. c . Shcrz no t i ce would be :&?fair L O incus t -y .

2 . Cncsrraincy about the e f f e c ~ s of f i s h i n g seasons on f l e e r s . 3 . Exact c l c s c r e dz tes necessary t o p r o t e c t s o f t s h e l l c rab and the necsssit:,- of c los ing during macing.

-7 .7 ,.---NGES S I N C 2 1986. -. :-; f a r as I c z z c e l l nct much has c h a n ~ e d , wich t h e e x c e ~ c i o n ef a - CFZC mor2tcr:,:m ;n S F , a l imi ted encry program i n Ccok I n l e t , s r d a r q d e s t f o r a lirnrzed ent ry p rogrm In Rodiak. What t h i s r e a l l y t e l l s me i s tha t z?-e f l e e t i s concerned f o r the continued v i a b i l i t y c f t h e fisheries. ? ~ r h a g s t h i s concern Ls a r e s u l t of a l e s s than s ~ c c e s s f u l rznagemect zzd r e sea rch program.

The infcrna::cz 2-,-ailable t o assess handling m o r t a l i i i e s has Increased - - t3rough the e r r o r z s of Dave Hicks and Tom Sh i r l ey .

DZSIXED 2RC5VC'Z'S '?.OM THZ FFLL 1 9 9 4 EEETING. Much of what was 6 lscussed a t the Ncvernber 1986 meeting needs E O be disczssed once aga ln . Bowever, unless t h e r e r s a l l y i s some scgpor t scrfaclng from H Q , i n terms of budget and s t a f f , we might be a r a d i n g old wocnds wher we should be heal lng wounds and moving forward. Where i t wculd be n i c e zo review rhe research and management p r o g r m i n each reglon, perkaps t h e a v a i l a b l e rime could be be tce r u t i l i z e d with o t h e r s ~ h j e c t s . Maybe i t would be good t o have each region provide a written summary i n a common format which could be mailed t o each po ten r l a l p a r t i c i p a n t NLT two weeks p r i o r t o the meeting. Someone could asserrble e r equ i red reading l i s t , which would include papers on h a d l i n g effects s o everyone was cur rent on t h a t information p r i o r t o - - - G , , ecding .

7cr me 5es:reE rneering p r o d u c ~ s woula include t h e following: .;. Drzft Dmgeness Crab Management Pol icy. Tkis would be s i m i l a r t o ~ Y a t we ccr renc ly have f o r other spec ies (king and Tanner c rabs ) i n the r e c c l a z l c r bock le t . It would i d e n t i f y the major elements ( s i z e ::nit, GELS, mcl t lng c losu res , matlng c losu res , sex r e s ~ r i c t ~ c n , pot I:m~rs, te-<5srlng, e t c . ) of t h e managenent program and would be c a ~ s l s t e r z f o r each region. I f the necessary changes a r s too r a d i c a l . - fsr cne ~ n r ~ r m a i i o n base, t h i s pol icy could be used t o guide our Frograins ir-io che f u t u r e .

3 . C o n s i s t a t Saxql ing Program. Esgecial ly f o r s h e l l condi t ion, either wii? c r without t h e use of a 2urometer. One of the n a j o r pieces of r s s e a r c h information missing i s molt ciming f o r major s tocks. T h s , we cont inue t o f i s h during molting periods. Coxsis tent s z ~ p l i n g tkreughouc a l l regions would allow us t o I D any p a t t e r n s and begin t o ~ ~ t e r s i a n d t h e v a r i a b i l i t y between s tocks and between years/sezs,-2s. i d e n t i f i c a t i o n of che mating and egghatch per iods wold a l so be c s e f - ~ l

C . Written P o l i c y On PSP. The cur rent pol icy e s s e n t i a l l y e l imina tes zny sigcif:czct ~ p p o r t u n i t y t o market whole o r l i v e Dungeness c r a b aroducts , s scegt wi th considerable r i s k . A s I mders tand the c u r r e n t l q C C policy in S 5 once "hot crab" a r e found, processing r e s t r i c t i o n s

go i 2 t o p l c c ~ . - f > r very i a rge a reas , sven though z a y smal le r a r e s s wich s igmziczz r ha rves t s which a r e within t h e gross boundaries a r e a l s o r e s c r i c ~ s . 2 . Perhaps t h i s could be presented and exglained by

D. Statemeot C a T h e Need For L b i t e d Entry. The d i v i s i c n w i l l soon be asked t o csz-?-?ent on the need f o r l i m i ~ a d ent ry p r o g r m s of var ious t q e s and how = l e s s w i l l a s s i s t management. In scme czses i t w i l l be - . - - . c l r r ~ c u l t c o f s c e t h e f a c t s thac we have not done the proper job of r ssearch and r.z:-agernent the f i she ry deserves. This statement would f - ~ l f i l l a rss2czse t o CFEC, from a stacewide persgec t ive .

E. Staterneot ?o Commissioner Rosier Concerning Support. J u s t l i k e i n nay-y f i s h e r ~ s s -.\ihich most b i o l o g i s t s understand ! i e salrnon) t h e r e a r e b ~ s i c in fc rx~r :ona l needs i n support of proper mznagernenc of Dungeness crab. I f sucy- b a s i c - - in fomat ion i s noc ava i l ab le t o t h e managers due zc bu6get c r s z z r r c o n s t r 2 i n t s , then some very c ~ n s e r v a t i v e - 1 - s--srnacivs fcra of management needs t o be presc--.=sd. I would l i k e t o see a basic p r z q r a i descr ibed and force t h e i s sue of e i t h e r funding a grogram o r t e l l i n g t h e publ ic we have no a l t e r n e ~ ~ v e but t o manage conservat ively. O r , we make t h e conscious decis ion t h a t we w i l l not a c e a p t t o rnzr-%ge Dungeness c rab and l l s t t h e pcEtncial r e s u l t s which occur- when nc nznagenent i s present .

. A P l a r For The Future. It seems co me t h a t uc less we have a p rec i se plan brzween t h e present 2nd the next A3OF meeting, we w i l l noc move tcwzr5s b e t t e r managaent of the f i s h e r i e s involved. Ken f e e l s t h a t sc3.e involvement with researchers and managers from o t h e r Pac i f i c Coast f i s h e r i e s should continue and be supported by HQ through funding i f we Ere K O maintain current knowledge which w i l l e f f e c t our eventual mtnagement p l an . Paul Larson i s co r rec t i n h i s memo of June 3 , 1994---we ~ x s t begin iden t i fy ing i s s ~ e s , f o m u l a t i n g arguments, modifying procrslns t o ga ther necessz-ry d a t a , analyze t h e da ta , and b r i ~ g advisory committees along. The only opportlmity we would have t o gather coxsLscent information would be i n 1,095. I n addi t ion we zeed t o cczvizzs indus t ry t h a t c h a s e i s necesst-'y, i f we conclude thz t chazge I s necessary.

F C?,M!AhT . you caz s E e , t h e meeting should icvolve both c?lscussion and working

croups so thaz . . some d r a f t language can be preparsd. There could be scme l a t e x g z z candles burning t o accomplish assignment. Perhaps t h e n7&..ber of g r c e ~ c t s l i s t e d need t o be p r i o r i t i z e d or reduced i n scope.

>:zZTING TIIvIINC. n .+ i--s Xegio~ 1 scaf f i s always working u.?.nder time r e s t r i c t i o c s , s o it may c o t 32 r ~ ~ l i m o r t a n t when the meeting occurs. However, t h e r e a r e scme r e s c c x i 2 i l F c i e s t h a t may constrain our p lzzr ing , and.you can crabably ~ 5 e z r l f y o t h e r s .

1. C 3 k;:ll not r e t u r n from maternity leave u n t i l sometime i n Dece*er. I f we r equ i re some a22r t ional Zata presented , e t c . it w i l l hz7.-o t o wait u n t i l a f t e r t h a t t ime. 2 . The 9 . X survey w i l l have most of t h e rsmaining s t a f f i n t h e f ie16 u > r i l l a t e August. There w i l l be a considerable mount of work on Cata u n t i l a decis ion about t h e Ncvenber 1 opening i s made. "ken, t h e r e w i l l be the t u r n o i l &cut t h e Juneau PU f isks~-~. 3 . I kz-.:? annual t r a i n i n g from October 1 4 - 3 0 . 4 . The s o t e n t i a l f o r a RKC f ishe-~y from Ncvsmber 1-15 e x i s t s .

5 . There w i l l be some prepara t ion f o r t h e Juneau RKC PU proposals necessary. 6 . The SZ Tanner c rab f i she ry w i l l occur begiLaning on February 1 5 .

cc: Botelho Iinamura Woodby

WASHINGTON COASTAL CRAB LANDINGS 1950 THRU 1994

POUNDS (Millions) 25 -

20 -

15 -

I I 0 W I I I I ! I I I I I I t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ' I I

1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995

SEASON LONGTERM MEAN (n=44 yrs); = 8.0 MILLION

WASHINGTON COASTAL CRAB FISHERY NUMBER OF BOATS AND POTS SINCE 1981

BOATS POTS (THOUSANDS)

-

SEASON preliminary date 93/94

- POTS + BOATS

OREGON DUNGENESS CRAB LANDINGS AND PEAK POT COUNTS

20,000,000 T T 120000 ANNUAL POUNDS

YEAR

TOTAL BOATS IN OREGON CRAB FISHERY 1950- 1994

Appendix C ( p 3 of 6 ) California Dungeness Crab Lanalngs by season

(Pounds )

Eureka Bodega Bay Monterey, Crescent C i t y San Francisco Morro Bay

Season Ft. Bragg Area Area Tdtai -

Appendix C ( p 4 of 6 )

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTmDmG REGARDING MANAG-

OF THE PACmC COAST DUNGENESS CRAB FISHERY1

It is recognized by t he Directon of the fishery agencies of California, Oregon, and

Washington that a need exists for inerstate muperation in mmgtmcnt of the Pacific Coast

Dungmess crab fshery in genenl, and spafiQlly in dealing with adjuatmcntt of the fishing

season.

Therefore, the Dinztors of the aforementioned agencies declare it to be their intent to

&* m u d y supmive actions to fiuthc the management and maximize the sound economic

and bioiogical utilization of the crab reso- when appropriately requested by the Director of

one of the other three c m p e a g state agenciu.

With regard to the incidence of soft Wed crab at the beginning of the winter season,

the Directon endorse the August 1992 reamrnend~ons of the Tri-State Dungenas Crab

Committcc ( c ~ attached) and agree to take whatever measures necesrary to implement its

provitions beginning with the 1993-94 coastal crab season.

Should any slate agency decide that it cannot act wittnn the provisions of thu agreement,

or is unable to met its financial obligations unds this agreement, the D m a p e to provide

ai least 30 days advance notice to the remaining parties of the agency's intent.

Oregon Department of 7 Fish and W11W

,/

Date Robert Turner, Director

Washington Departmat of Fish&es

I S u p s w d s b e memorandum d a d May-Jum 1980

Appendix C ( p 5 of 6 )

TRI-STATE DUNGENESS CRAB CO- RECOMMENDATIONS ON WINTER SOFT-SHELL CRAB

AUGUST 1992

I. Test fishery procedure: a. Washington will conduct test fishing for crab condition only (notcrab abundance)

on or about October 20 as follows:

1) Crab pots will be "soaked" for 2 days at approximately 18 sfations at depths of 12 to 32 fathoms. The sampling goal is to grade 100 legal-sized crab at each of the 18 stations. Thrs will normally require that 8 pots be set at each station. The stations are spread over two test fuhery zones.

2) Catch (number of crab) per -pot wiI1 not be recorded or disclosed; in addition, it will be requested of non-agency personnel aboard the test fishing vessel that this information not be divulged. Othenvise, industry obsemers are encouraged to be aboard the vessel.

The state fishery agencies beLieve that t h s information (catch per pot) is usually of little or no value in estimating crab abundance. The Committee recognizes that there is a widespread perception within the industry that test fishing results affec: fishing effort distribution and possibly ex-vessel price negotiations, and wishes to avoid unwarranted controversy.

3) Sub-samples of approximately 500 pounds from tach of the two Washington test fisheries will be taken for meat recovery @ick out) testing. Processing procedure is as follows:

Grade III crab will not be included in the sample; Crab wiU have aI.I legs and be otherwise undamaged; Crab will be weighed "green" after draining for at least 2 hours (green weight) ; Cooking will be in f k h water for 12 minutes; Crab will be picked out and the meat weighed (picked weight); Clab meat will be bxined (90% brine), cleaned, rinsed, and weighed (packed weight); Packed weight is divided by drained green weight to calculate the meat recovery percentage.

NOTE: This standardized procdure is estimated to give a meat recovery value which is 3 pe-tage points higher than that obtained by most processon.

Decision on need for further lest fishing:

a. No further test fishing will be needed if the results of Washmgton's first test fishery indicate crab will be in acceptable condition by December 1. The coastwide season opening date wiU be set uniformly as December 1.

b. A wcond test fishery will be conducted if the results of the first test fishery indicate 50% OT more of the legal-& nab are in grades I1 and III. (50% is based on a sampling date of October 20.)

c If "bW occurs, O~cgon will bee+ test fishing as soon as possible after receiving notification from Washington of test fishing results.

d. Oregon will conduct the test fishery to determine the souhem-most exmt of the sofi-shell arra in the zone between the Columbia RIM and Cascade Head.

e. Washington and Oregon will conduct a second test fishery approximately 20 days after Washington's first test tishexy. The target date for the second test fishery is November 10.

f. It is anticipated a -on on whether or not the s e w n will be opened on Darmber 1 an be made following the second test fishery. However, a third test fisnery may be needed. If so, test firrhing will be conducted on about November 20.

NOTE: A sewn opening will not be deiayed less than 15 days nor longer than 45 days.

III. If tbe searon is delnyed, the a d date of the wawm opening will be determined by meat recovery tesdng. The meat remvexy paczntage criterion for opening the season is 23 % . The season opening date wU be set when it czn be determined with res~anab1e ctrtainry rtrai this sdtcrion will be met. (NOTES: As mentioned earlier, the standardked procedure is esdmated to give a mait recovery value which is 3 percentage poinrs higher than thai obtained by most promsm. Undl more data on the ,ate of meat r a v c r y improvement is collected, a nte of 0.5% pez week will be bed to project the season opening date.)

IV. If the season is delayed, fishing mnes will be established.

b The endre California, Orcgon, and Washington fahing grounds will be divided inm two zones - northern and southern. The boundary b e w e n the zones will be set by the Oregon Depa~ment ofFisi~ and Wildlife and will Qh: into acsounr the existence of traditional fishing patterns.

b. Fishers may elst to fish in either mne. However, a fisher electing to fish in the southern w n e (opening on Dprember 1) may not fish in the northern zone until 30 days sfre: the northern zone has opened. The fisher must dcclare his intention an the pre-season vesseYhold inspecrion, or using the method rpeciKed by his sate managcmen t authority.

c. A &hour gear-semng period will be allowed before the sason opening dart.

DUNG

62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94

YEAR

DUNGENESS CRAB COMMERCIAL CATCH ALASKA PENINSULA MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

YEAR

Appendix D ( p 2 of 2)

DUNGENESS CRAB COMMERCIAL CATCH ALEUTIAN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

YEAR

Appendix E ( p 1 of 2)

Figure 1. Cook Inle t area d i s t r i c t location chart .

Appendix E ( p 2 of 2

Avg. = 1 .O1 million (78 - 90)

u v u c u c u a , m m m o o s 0 0 0 i i i

E E E c u c u a l 5 5 5 3 3 3

1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992

YEAR

Figure 8. Dungeness crab catch by year, Cook lnlet Mgt. Area, 1978 - 1993

Jan. Feb. March Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. I I MONTH I

Figure 9. Dungeness crab catch (percent) by month, Cook lnlet Mgt. Area, 1978 - 1990.

Appendix F ( p 1 of 5 )

Orca Inlet District Open only by E.O.

March 20 - May 20 July 25 - December 31

Figure 1. Prince William Sound Dungeness fishing seasons and districts.

Figure 2. Copper River Dungeness crab fishing district.

Appendix F ( p 2 of 5 )

Table I. Copper River District Dungeness crab survey average catch per pot and commercial catch, August 1985 - 1994.

Number Legal True Sublegai Newshell Fishery Fishery Effort Year of Pots Crabs Recruits Crabs Sublegal Catch % Recruits

NIA

65

80

80

NIA

80

80

80

37

78

1,006,196 63

1,090,477 58

887,713 34

602,969 52

635,976 25

397,913 36

70,259 62

2,458

SEASON CLOSED

SEASON CLOSED

17

16

13

8

9

17

14

confidential

0

0

Appendix F ( P 3 of 5

LO LO a,

s p @ g lax, 2 O "- E 0

1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 Year

Figure 3. Commercial Dungeness crab harvest from the Copper River District, PWS area, 1969 - 1994.

No data for these years.

I 1 1 1 1 - 1 9

1 1 1 1 1 , ~ 1 , / 1 1 , 1 1 1

1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 Year

Figure 4. Annual number of vessels participating in the Copper River commercial Dungeness fishery, PWS 1976 - 1992.

August Legal crab index '

Commercial harvest

\\\\W -

I I I I . 7 v v

1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 Year

Figure 5. Copper River District survey annual index and harvest, 1986 to 1994. The 1989 survey occurred in July.

o New shell crabs

1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 Year

Figure 6 . Average catch per pot of legal Dungeness crabs from Copper River District surveys, August 1986 to 1994. No August survey in 1989.

0 New shell crabs

I Old shell crabs

1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 Year

Figure 7 . Average catch per pot of sublegal Dungeness crabs from Copper River District surveys, August 1986 to 1 994. No August survey in 1989.

Statistical Area A (Southeast Alaska) Dungeness crab catch, number of participating vessels, number of landings, and average catch per landing, 1961 to present.

Year1 Catch in Number of Pounds per Number of Pounds per Season Pounds Vessels Vessel Landings Landing

a Most recent year's data should be considered preliminary.

Appendix G ( p 2 of 9

SE ALASKA DUNGENESS CRAB HARVEST SUMMER VERSUS FALL

100.00

90.00 W

80.00 a I 70.00 z

60.00

50.00 rn L 40,OO 0

30.00 E 8 20.00

10.00

0.00

FISHING SEASON

=SUMMER H FALL

SE ALASKA DUNGENESS CRAB EFFORT SUMMER VERSUS FALL

100.00

90.00 n

80.00 E " 70.00 rn t 60.00 z

50.00

% 40.00 I-

30.00 0

20.00 0

10.00

0.00 O - r V ) t D b Q ) , O Q) m

CU V) ~ e ~ f ~ ~ ~ s 2 5 2 a 2 Q ) m m , , , , ,

FISHING SEASON

RSUMMER 81 FALL J

Size Frequency of Dungeness Crabs 1-1 shell

- - - -- -. . Southeast Alaska new shell

I .- - -

5 1985 .{ N=2650

1

0 I

I 4 -1 dm- N-2838 ,

Shoulder Width (mm)

Size Frequency of Dungeness Crabs I J old shell

Southeast Alaska new shell

Shoulder Width (mm)

Appendix G ( p 5 of 9 )

SEDUNG.XLS KOEN EMAN 27JAN95

SE ALASKA DUNGENESS CRAB CATCH AND EFFORT SINCE 1982183 SEASON

SEASON 82/83 83/84 84/85 85/86 86/87 87/88 88/89 89/90 90/91 91/92 92/93 93/94 94/95

POUNDS PERCENT SUMMER

74.31 72.57 63.66 71 -30 61.67 70.70 82.80 82.81 69.86 77.25 90.62 85.34 81.08

POUNDS PERCENT

EA!L 25.69 27.43 36.34 28.70 38.33 29.30 17.20 17.19 30.14 22.75 9.38 14.66 18.92

SEASON 82/83 83/84 84/85 85/86 86/87 87/88 88/89 89/90 90191 91 192 92/93 93/94 94/95

POUNDS _SUMMER 2725249 1560653 1 173340 1650229 1 51 5883 2397472 2750376 1588851 186901 5 3634930 2799681 21 64739 1 528430

POUNDS EeLl 9421 90 590039 669845 664389 942341 993373 571 358 329802 806243 1070384 28971 7 371 962 356763

AVERAGE 75.69 24.31 21 04527 661 41 6

SEASON 82/83 83/84 84/85 85/86 86/87 87/88 88/89 89/90 90/91 91/92 92/93 93/94 94/95

PERMITS PERCENT SUMMER

78.91 73.85 61.54 70.37 68.75 65.00 68.56 81.22 74.1 9 82.65 95.14 89.90 93.41

PERMITS PERCENT

FALL 66.41 71.54 79.12 63.43 68.75 74.1 7 65.1 5 44.90 63.31 56.47 29.1 5 41.41 36.81

SEASON 82/83 83/84 84/85 85/86 86/87 87/88 88/89 89/90 9019 1 91/92 92/93 93/94 94/95

PERMITS SUMMER

101 96 112 1 52 154 156 181 1 99 1 84 262 235 1 78 1 70

PERMITS PERMITS FALL TOTAL

85 1 28 93 130 1 44 1 82 137 21 6 154 224 1 78 240 1 72 264 110 245 157 248 1 79 31 7 72 247 82 1 98 67 1 82

AVERAGE 77.19 58.51 1 68 1 25 21 7

Table 5. Dockside length frequency sampling summary for Dungeness crab in Southeast Alaska, 1975/76 to present.'

Number of Number of Carapace Length Recruitment Season Boats Sampled Crab Sampled Average Range % ~ e c r u i t s ~ % PR +13 . % PR +24 % PR +35 %Skip ~ o l t s ~

1 District 16 is included in Southeast in all data presented; by regulation it was part of Yakutat until 1983. 2 Recruits = all new and soft shell crab 2165 mm and 5 193 mm carapace length. 3 PR +1 = all new and soft shell crab 2 194 mm and < 222 mm, and old & very old shell crab 2 165 mm and < 193 mm, carapace length. 4 PR +2 = all new and soft shell crab 2 223 mm and 5 252 mm, and old 2 194 mm & 5 222 mm, and very old 2 165 mm and 5 193 mm, carapace length. - 5 PR +3 = all new and soft shell crab 2 223 mm and all old 2 252 mm and < 194 mm, and very old 2 222 mm and 2 mm, carapace length. 6 Skip molts = all old and very old crab. 7 Data is summarized through the summer portion of the fishery only.

Table 6. Dockside interview sampling summary for Dungeness crab in Southeast Alaska, 1975/76 to present.1

Number of Number of Number of Average Catch Range of Weight Estimated No. of Percent of Season Boats Interviewed Pots Lifted Crab Captured Per Pot Catchpot Average Range Crab Harvested Harvest Sampled

1 District 16 is included in Southeast in all data presented; by regulation it was part of Yakutat until 1983. 2 Data summarized through the summer portion of the fishery only.

~ p p e n d i x G ( p 8 of 9)

Size Frequency of Dungeness Crabs [I old shell

Southeast Alaska new shell

Shoulder Width (mm)

Appendix G (p 9 of 9 )

Size Frequency of Dungeness Crabs n .id Southeast Alaska new shell

1 I

Shoulder Width (mm)

Appendix H ( p 1 of 9

Statistical Area D (Yakutat) Dungeness catch, number of participating vessels, number of landings, and average catch per landing, 1960 to present.

Year/ Catch in Number of Pounds Per Number of Pounds Per Season Pounds Permits Vessel Landings Landing

" Most recent year's data should be considered preliminary.

YAKUTAT DUNGENESS CRAB HARVEST SUMMER VERSUS FALL

m w L O U ) b m Q ) O m s ! $ $ . & $ $

FISHING SEASON

BSUMMER IBI FALL

YAKUTAT DUNGENESS CRAB EFFORT SUMMER VERSUS FALL

FISHING SEASON

BSUMMER FALL 1

Appendix H ( p 3 of 9 )

Size Frequency of Dungeness Crabs old shell

Yakutat new shell

Shoulder Width (mm)

Size Frequency of Dungeness Crabs O old shell

Yakutat new shell ---. -

1990 1

Shoulder Width (mm)

YAKDUNG.XLS KOENEMAN 27JAN95

YAKUTAT DUNGENESS CRAB CATCH AND EFFORT SINCE 1982.183 SEASON

POUNDS POUNDS PERCENT PERCENT

SEASON SUMMER FALL 82/83 100.00 0.00 83/84 90.50 9.50 84/85 100.00 0.00 85/86 99.1 0 0.90 86/87 94.1 4 5.86 87/88 95.45 4.55 88/89 98.74 1.26 89/90 99.86 0.14 90/91 94.87 5.1 3 91/92 97.97 2.03 92/93 99.07 0.93 93/94 93.93 6.07 94/95 85.1 3 14.87

SEASON 82/83 83/84 84/85 85/86 86/87 87/88 88/89 89/90 90191 91 192 92/93 93/94 94/95

POUNDS SUMMER 5160135 241 3009 774828 367894 704371

2601 128 3450472 1699432 1 982689 2794289 137981 0 766464 777688

POUNDS FALL

AVERAGE 96.06 3.94 191 3247 75821

PERMITS PERMITS PERCENT PERCENT

SEASON SUMMER FALL 82/83 100.00 0.00 83/84 95.52 17.91 84/85 100.00 0.00 85/86 96.88 9.38 86/87 86.36 27.27 87/88 92.86 21.43 88/89 93.75 12.50 89/90 96.55 6.90 9019 1 88.89 1 9.44 91/92 88.06 22.39 92/93 95.92 8.16 93/94 93.1 8 22.73 94/95 91.49 25.53

SEASON 82/83 83/84 84/85 85/86 86/87 87/88 88/89 89/90 90191 91/92 92/93 93/94 94/95

PERMITS PERMITS PERMITS mMMER FALL TOTAL

35 35 64 12 67 39 39 31 3 32 19 6 22 26 6 28 30 4 32 28 2 29 32 7 36 59 15 67 47 4 49 41 10 44 43 12 47

AVERAGE 93.29 16.1 4 38 7 41

Table 5. Dockside length frequency sampling summary for Dungeness crab in Yakutat, 1975f76 to present.'

Number of Number of Carapace Length Recruitment Season Boats Sampled Crab Sampled Average Range % Recruits2 % PR +13 % PR +24 % PR +35 % Skip ~ o l t s ~

1 District 16 is included in Southeast in all data presented; by regulation it was part of Yakutat until 1983. 2 Recruits = all new and soft shell crab 2165 mm and I 193 mm carapace length. 3 PR +1 = all new and soft shell crab 2 194 mm and 2 222 mm, and old & very old shell crab 2 165 mm and I 193 mrn, carapace length. 4 PR +2 = all new and soft shell crab 2 223 mm and I 252 mm, and old 2 194 mm & < 222 mm, and very old 2 165 mm and 5 193 mm, carapace length. 5 PR +3 = all new and soft shell crab 2 223 mm and all old 2 252 mm and I 194 mm, and very old 2 222 mm and S mm, carapace length. 6 Skip molts = all old and very old crab. 7 Data is summarized through the summer portion of the fishery only.

Table 6. Dockside interview sampling summary for Dungeness crab in Yakutat, 1975/76 to present.

Number of Number of Number of Average Catch Range of Weight Estimated No. of Percent of Season Boats Interviewed Pots Lifted Crab Captured Per Pot Catchpot Average Range Crab Harvested Harvest Sampled

1975f76 0 1976f77 0 1977/78 0 2.38 2.38 - 2.39 55,064 0.35 1978/79 20 27,320 62,955 9.44 6.37 - 15.72 2.47 2.03 - 2.98 728,503 0.62 1979180 4 15,000 18,734 7.2 1 7.21 - 7.21 2.61 2.42 - 2.80 550,545 0.1 1 198018 1 0 2.11 2.11-2.11 424,275 0.0 1 198 1/82 0 2.29 1.96 - 2.52 1,409,738 0.0 1 1982183 0 2.40 1.90 - 2.72 2,150,056 0.01 1983184 23 1,500 12,500 8.33 8.33 - 8.33 2.64 1.92 - 3.01 1,009,994 0.0 1 1984185 35 4,529 5,555 1.76 0.92 - 2.46 2.58 2.11 - 2.95 299,750 1.37 1985186 66 29,883 14,581 1.94 0.30 - 9.17 2.15 1.78 - 2.50 172,668 4.86 1986187 23 9,405 47,226 6.57 3.45 - 9.15 2.07 1.85 - 2.47 361,445 0.97 1987188 25 8,168 30,720 5.54 3.00 - 8.79 2.20 1.91 - 240 1,238,655 0.38 1988189 4 1 43,232 137,104 8.1 1 4.49 - 22.95 2.40 2.06 - 2.68 1,455,987 0.37 1989190 17 13,739 71,125 5.9 1 2.77 - 9.56 2.42 2.22 - 2.58 703,248 0.24 199019 1 18 15,150 77,20 1 6.37 2.25 - 10.25 2.37 2.1 1 - 2.61 881,849 0.22 1991192 26 14,639 70,O 12 5.29 1.25 - 11.43 2.45 2.19 - 2.71 1,161,169 0.22 1992193 8 2,330 7,906 3.12 1.76 - 4.47 2.48 2.08 - 2.82 561,573 0.18 1993194 17 15,905 50.1 18 2.92 0.75 - 4.60 2.23 1.94 - 2.50 1994195 7 2.27 1.97 - 2.48

' Data summarized through the summer portion of the fishery only.

Appendix H ( p 8 of 9 )

Size Frequency of Dungeness Crabs 1-1 old shell

Yakutat new shell

N=315

2

0

Shoulder Width (mm)

Size Frequency of Dungeness Crabs T I old shell

Yakutat new shell

1985 5 1990

Shoulder Width (mm)

Appendix I (p 1 of 2 )

MONTH

M = MATING S = SPAWNING E = EGG BEARING H = LARVAL HATCHING G = MEGALOPAE

DATA SOURCE: Shirley et al. (1987) Shirley et al. (1987) Koeneman (1985) Shirley et al. (1987) this paper

Jamieson & Phillips (1993) Jamieson & Phillips (1993) Butler (1 961) Butler (1 956) Butler (1 960)

McConnaughey et al. (1992) Cleaver (1 949) Cleaver (1 949) McConnaughey et al. (1992) Cleaver (1 949)

Shen ker (1 988) Lough (1976) Waldron (1958) assumed same as CA assumed same as CA

Reilly (1 983) Wild (1980) Wild (1980) Wild (1 980) Wild (1980)

Table 2-48. Kachemak Bay and Lower Cook Inlet shel lf fsh sport and personal use fishery hawest end participation, 1981 - 1993.

King Dungeness Tanner Hardshell. Razor Other Year PartCcivation Crab Crab Crab Shrimp Clamzr Cf ams ShelliTsh

1981 25,391 1982 is, 712 1983 17,096 1484 23,288 1985 13,213 1986 21,668 1987 19,028 1988 12,314 1989 8,314 1990 9,301 19 91 6,667 1992 15,469

" Days fished. Callons of shrimp and clams. Fishery Closed. Fishery open 9/21 - 10/21; no harvest reported.

Appendix K

INDIRECT FISHING EFFECTS INDIRECT FISHING EFFECTS LETHAL EFFECTS SUBLETHAL EFFECTS

CATCHING MORTALITY LIMB LOSS - cannibalism or starvation prior to pot

retrieval - unquantified - sources: cannibalism (Butler 1954,

Cleaver 1949, Gotshall 1977, Waldron 1 958) and starvation (Paul et al. 1993)

GHOST FISHING - lost gear continues to fish - 11% pot loss (7% of catch) in Fraser

River estuary due to ghost fishing - sources: Breen (1 987)

HANDLING MORTALITY - mortality due to handlingldiscarding

processes (injury, predation, etc.) - short-term (4 d) in situ studies show

higher mortality on soft-shell crabs (20-30%) than hardshell crabs (1 -9%), increased mortality from repeated (3X) handling (41 %) versus 1 handling ( 23%)

- long-term (2 mo) laboratory studies show marked effects of repeated (4X) handling (1 00%) versus controls (1 0%)

- long-term (c1 yr) tagging studies show greater (approx. 2 fold) recovery of tagged hardshells versus softshells

- long-term studies suggest lower (50-93%) recovery rate of crabs with lost 1-2 limbs versus uninjured crabs

- sources: Barry (1 984), Tegelberg (1 972), Shirley and Shirley (pers. comm.), Kruse et al. (1 994), Cleaver (1 949), Waldron (1 958)

- limbs lost during fishing & discarding - 18-62% of crabs have lost limbs - sources: Shirley and Shirley (1 988),

Cleaver (1 949), Waldron (1 958), Durkin et al. (1 984)

REDUCED GROWTH - reduced growth increment or molting

probability due to injury or other stress - not studied for Dungeness crabs

REDUCED FECUNDITY - reduced fecundity due to reduced growth

or egg loss - not studied for Dungeness crabs

REDUCED VISUAL ACUITY - reduced acuity due to sun light - not studied for Dungeness crabs

ALEUTlANlBERlNG DUNGENESS CRAB 1993

I I I I JULY SEP OCT NOV n =3 n = 1 n =5 n = 3

n = # of samples analyzed .. REGULATORY LEVEL PALMER LABORATORY SHELLFISH PROGRAM

ALEUTlANlBERlNG DUNOENESS CRAB 1994

0 I I I .-+

MAY JUN JUL SEP NOV

n = l l n - 6 n = 1 2 n-11 n = 0

n = # of samples analyzed . . REGULATORY LEVEL SHELLFISH PROGRAM

PALMER LABORATORY

Appendix L ( p 2 of 6 )

KODIAK DUNGENESS CRAB 1993

I I I I ,, MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

n = 22 n = 9 n=24 n = 54 n=56 n = 64 n=34 n=12

# of samples analyzed REGULATORY LEVEL

KODIAK DUNGENESS CRAB 1994

,Dilutions Pending

1 i

SHELLFISH PROGRAM PALMERLABORATORY

MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

n = 2 4 n=49 n=71 n = 1 6 n=36 n =44 n = 3 0 n = 6

# of samples analyzed REGULATORY LEVEL

SHELLFISH PROGRAM PALMER LABORATORY

COOK INLET DUNQENESS CRAB 1993

80 ..........................................

60 70:

MAY JUN JUL AUG

n = 1 2 n - 2 0 n = 1 8 n = 1 6

SEP n=15

n = # of samples analyzed . . REGULATORY LEVEL

COOK INLET DUNGENESS CRAB 1994

MAY

n = 1 7

SHELLFISH PROGRAM PALMER LABORATORY

MAX

- MIN

- - - - ..

JUN

n = 2 6

JUL AUG

n=18 n = 1 1

SEP n = 6

n = # of samples analyzed . . REGULATORY LEVEL SHELLFISH PROGRAM

PALMER LABORATORY

Appendix L ( p 4 of 6 )

YAKUTAT DUNGENESS CRAB 1994

JAN FEB

n = 3 n - 3

n = # of samples analyzed . . REGULATORY LEVEL

MAY JUN JUL

n=14 n=8 n=6

NOV

n=15

SHELLFISH PROGRAM PALMER LABORATORY

Appendix L ( p 5 of 6 )

SOUTHEAST DUNGENESS CRAB 1993

FEE MAR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

n = 2 n = 3 0 n = 2 6 n = 6 5 n = 1 1 9 n=39 11-20 n = 6 2 n = 5 2 n = 2 1

n = # of samples analyzed . . REGULATORY LEVEL

1 - MAX 1

SHELLFISH PROGRAM PALMER LABORATORY

SOUTHEAST 1 DUNGENESS CRAB 1994

0 I --I

JUN JUL AUG OCT NOV n = 1 2 n = 2 1 n = 1 7 n = 1 8 n = 6

n = # of samples analyzed . REGULATORY LEVEL SHELLFISH PROGRAM

PALMERLABORATORY

SOUTHEAST 2 DUNGENESS CRAB 1994

40 - MIN

- - - - .. a 30 -

Y . --

JUN JUL AUG OCT NOV n=24 n=39 n = 9 n=17 n = 6

n = # of samples analyzed . . REGULATORY LEVEL

SOUTHEAST 3 DUNGENESS CRAB 1994

DEC n = 3

SHELLFISH PROGRAM PALMER LABORATORY

0 I I I I I I JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV

n = 1 2 n = 3 n = 2 n=48 n = 9 n = 3

n = # of samples analyzed . . REGULATORY LEVEL SHELLFISH PROGRAM

PALMER LABORATORY

HOUSE BILL NO. 107

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

NTNETEENTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION BY REPRESENTATIVE GRUSSENDORF

lah#hlad: U2W% Retcmd: !IOU& Special Committee on Fisheries, Resources

A BILL

FOR AN ACT EMTIZED

1 "An Ad relating to restrictions attached to certain commercial fisheries limited

2 entry permits."

3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:

Section 1. FINDINGS. The legislature finds that

(1) limited entry is an important state management tool to promote

conservation and sustained yield management of fisheries resources of the state and to

preserve and sustain the benefits of fisheries development for Alaska;

(2) there is a need for effective access restrictions; however, in some fisheries

access restrictions alone do not adequately control post-limitation increases in fishing capacity

and effort;

(3) restricting the fishing capacity associated with entry pennits for a particular

fishery would make a portion of the entry permits for that fishery more affordable for entry

level fishermen;

(4) this Act allows the Alaska CommerciaI Fisheries Entry Commission to

HB0107a -1- 5 107 New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACXETED]

Appendix M (p 2 of 2 )

"grandfather" participants into newly limited fisheries at levels of fishing capacity that reflect

each participant's historic level of participation before limitation; and

(5) this Act does not alter or limit the powers of the Board of Fisheries to

impose additional restrictions on fishing capacity.

Sec. 2. AS 16.43.150(a) is amended to read:

(a) Exceot as mav be otherwise ~rovided under AS 16.43.270(d). an

[EACH] entry permit authorizes the pennittee to operate a unit of gear within a

specified fishery.

Sec. 3. AS 16.43.270 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:

(d) The commission may restrict the fishing capacity employed under an entry

permit if, before the initial issuance of entry permits for a fishery, the commission

determines that the fishing capacity in the fishery must be limited to achieve the

purposes of this chapter, establishes criteria for determining the fishing capacity thq

is allowed under an entry permit, and establishes how fishing capacity will be

measured. The maximum fishing capacity allowed under an entry permit must be

based upon past participation in the fishery by the initial recipient of the entry permit

during a period, spehfied by the commission, preceding the qualification date

established under AS 16.43.260. The commission may define fishing capacity in terms

of quantity of fishing gear, a proportion of the maximum amount of gear that can be

utilized in the fishery under regulations of the Board of Fisheries, fishing vessel size

or other characteristics, or other factors determined by the commission to affect the

amount of fishing effort in the fishery. The fishing capacity allowed under an entry

permit may not be changed after the permit is issued. The recipient or transferee of

an entry permit issued subject to this subsection may not exceed the fishing capacity

allowed under the entry permit.

-2- New T e x t Under1 i n e d [DELETED TEXT BRACXETED]

Appendix N

1994195 Alaska Dungeness Crab Seasons

COMMERCIAL FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT D I V I S I O N

NEWS RELEASE ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME

State of Alaska Contact: A1 Kimker Department of Fish and Game Reg. Shellfish Biologist Frank Rue, Acting Commissioner Div. of Commercial Fisheries

Management & Development Homer, 235-8191

Jeffery P. Koenings, Director Division of Commercial Fisheries Management & Development

January 20, 1995

1995 DUNGENESS CRAB MANAGEMENT PLAN, COOK INLET MZWAGEMENT AREA

HISTORY OF THE FISHERY

The majority of the commercial and sport/personal use (pu) Dungeness crab fishing in Cook Inlet has occurred in the Southern District which includes Kachemak Bay and adjacent waters (Figures 1 and 2). An undetermined portion of the stock resides in the Central District; however, the only fishable areas in this district are on the periphery of Cook Inlet itself. Other areas in the Central District are not fishable due to siltation which often causes crab pots to become stuck soon after they are set.

Since 1978 annual harvests from the Southern District have ranged from a low of 29,502 pounds in 1990 to a high of 2.1 million pounds in 1979. The commercial fishery was closed in the Southern District (Kachemak Bay) from 1991 through 1994 due low adult abundance. The average annual harvest since 1978 is 1.01 million pounds. Effort has ranged from 23 vessels in 1990 to 108 vessels in 1982 (Table 1). Since 1979, 92 percent of the crabs have been harvested between the months of June and October.

Very small harvests came from the Central District in the 1992 through 1994 seasons. Specific catch data remain confidential because there were two or less participants in the fishery.

REGULATIONS

statewide biological regulations for the commercial Dungeness crab fishery consist of a males only harvest and a minimum legal size of 6.5 inches (165 mm) carapace width. Gear regulations include provisions for escape rings, pot description .and a biodegradable escape mechanism.

At the spring 1994 meeting, the Alaska Board of Fisheries significantly overhauled the commercial and recreational Dungeness fishery regulations for the Cook Inlet Management Area. Current commercial regulations now include:

1) Separation of the Southern District into two subdistricts. Subdistrict 1 is essentially east of Homer Spit and Subdistrict 2 is west of the Spit (Figure 2).

2) Fishing seasons and depth restrictions for the Southern District subdistricts:

a) Subdistrict 1 - open from 12 noon August 1 to 12 noon August 31 in 10 fathoms or less in depth.

b) Subdistrict 2 - open from 12 noon July 15 to 12 noon August 31 in 40 fathoms or less in depth.

3) A season in the remainder of Cook Inlet extending from June 1 through December 31, and from January 15, or the beginning of the commercial Tanner season (whichever is later) through March 15.

4) A 150 pot limit for the Southern District with no more than 50 of those pots in Subdistrict 1.

5) Buoy identification tag requirement.

6) Prohibition against use of floating line except for the buoy setup, which includes the buoys, buoy line and line connecting buoys and buoy lines to one another.

In 1993 the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission also limited the number of future permits for the fishery to 101 pot fishermen and two ring net fishermen.

In addition to the existing 6.5 inch, males only, 5 crab bag and possession limit, the board restricted the recreational open season to July 15 through December 31, and January 15, or the end of the commercial Tanner season (whichever is later) through March 15.

LIFE HISTORY

The spring and summer months are a biologically sensitive time period for adult Dungeness crabs in Cook Inlet. During this time crabs mate, subsequently shed their exoskeletons (molt), and grow. Following the molt, there is a period when the new exoskeleton has not fully hardened. During this soft-shell period, crabs are vulnerable to both limb loss and mortality due to trapping and handling by fishermen and cannabalism by other crabs. Consequently it is prudent to schedule fishery openings after the soft-shell period to minimize adverse effects to the stock. ~espite natural population fluctuations, it is likely that fishing during and immediately after the major molting period for adult males has been a factor in the recent decline of Dungeness crabs in Cook Inlet.

,The majority of the adult male segment of the stock molts in Kachemak Bay between late April and mid-September although the peak molt usually occurs in June and July. The inconsistency in molt timing between years is partially explained by interannual temperature variation that occur in shallow north temperate and sub-arctic waters.

Although the Dungeness crabs throughout Cook Inlet are likely related via larval drift, it appears that there may be two separate adult stocks of crabs within the Southern and Central Districts. For example, the substantial size group of crabs that first appeared east of Homer Spit as adults in 1991, and now are passing through the latter stages of their life cycle, never appeared in department surveys nor recreational catches west of Homer Spit. As a result, crab densities have differed substantially east and west of Homer Spit. For members of the public who have fished recreationally east of the Spit, good catches have provided the impression of a healthy stock of crabs in Kachemak Bay. However, data from west of Homer Spit showed that any perceived recovery was partial at best as the adult stock west of the Spit clearly remained depressed (Table 2).

Carapace coloration also has contributed to the belief that the crabs east and west of Homer Spit come from a different adult stocks. The coloration difference is likely a function of substrate and diet; crabs east of the Spit are darker in appearance particularly as the animal ages in its existing shell.

It has also been noted that crabs west of Homer Spit usually appear in the commercial catches well after substantial numbers have been caught in the waters east of the Spit. This may indicate a later molt west of Homer Spit but it is more likely due to the actual location of the crabs initially away from the gear in the unfishable waters of central or upper Cook Inlet. Environmental factor likely trigger movement into the western segment of Kachemak Bay, therefore making the crabs susceptible to capture in commercial fishing gear.

Appendix 0 ( p 4 of 1 2 )

STOCK STATUS

Results of the 1989 and 1990 commercial fisheries indicated that the Dungeness stock was in a depressed condition. The 29,000 pound catch in 1990 was 3 percent of the one million pound average harvest from the years 1978 - 1990. A noticeable size group of adults appeared in the department's 1989 trawl survey. In 1991 these animals first recruited into the pot survey gear. These crabs recruited to the legal segment of the stock in 1992. Significant instance of skipmolting occurred as sublegals in 1993. Their abundance diminished significantly in 1994 (Table 2 and Figures 3 and 4). These animals only appeared in the pot survey gear east of Homer Spit; historical survey catches west of Homer Spit remained low. No subsequent meaningful year classes or size groups of crabs have been documented by either the pot or trawl survey. Due to significant skipmolting prior to legal size (thereby substantially reducing recruitment), aggregate distribution east of Homer Spit, subsequent weak year classes, and a lack of sufficiently conservative regulation, the commercial fishery was not opened during the period 1991 - 1994. Some data were collected in 1994 that may signify a stock recovery. Molted exoskeletons collected by the department from June through September of 1994 in the intertidal area on the west side of Homer Spit indicated that a substantial size group of immature crabs are moving up in the stock. The size range of molted carapaces collected over the summer was 22 to 109 mm with a mean of 55 mm (Figure 5). Because this was a fortuitous collection of exoskeletons, these data cannot be quantified into an estimate of abundance. However, no meaningful numbers of molted exoskeletons have been found on the beaches of Kachemak Bay since 1990 when the group of crabs now passing through the latter stages of its life cycle in the waters east of the Spit first reached sexually maturity.

To investigate these young crabs further, the department also collected newly molted crabs in September of 1994 from the Homer harbor using ring nets in depths between 20 and 30 feet. The size range of these crabs was 75 to 163 mm with an average width of 109 mm (Figure 6). These live animals are likely the crabs that shed the aforementioned exoskeletons.

1995 SURVEYS

The Southern District crab and groundfish trawl survey will occur in early July 1995. The Dungeness crab pot survey will begin in late May east of Homer Spit and continue on a monthly basis at least through August. The pot survey west of Homer Spit will take place once in July and again in August. Survey timing in 1995 will be very similar to that of previous years.

Appendix 0 ( p 5 of 1 2 )

The Homer Spit intertidal area will again be examined for molted Dungeness carapaces. This will begin in April or May, as daylight and tides allow, and continue to October. The department will also fish ring nets for small crabs in the Homer Boat Harbor in August and September.

1995 MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

Given the current structure and abundance of the adult Dungeness crab stock, it is unlikely that the commercial fishery in the Southern District will be opened in 1995. The Central District will open by regulation on June 1, 1995. This small fishery has remained open during the past Southern District closures because the area is very difficult to fish and access to the stock is therefore very limited. The relatively low fishing mortality is unlikely to have a meaningful effect on the recovery of the stock.

Guidelines must be established for opening the commercial fishery in the Southern District. Although conservative regulations adopted by the 1994 Board of Fisheries now limit the risk of overfishing, there remains a minimum adult stock level below which a fishery should not occur. A history of fishery collapses indicate that sex, size and season management (3-S) has not worked in any Southern District crab fishery inlcuding Dungeness crabs. The biological disadvantages of a recruits only fishery are:

1. Size-sex-season management tends to result in a recruits- only fishery as the majority of the large, legal crabs are harvested by high levels of fishing effort.

2. Genetic (the regularly thereby enhancing breeding that do not grow as large).

growing crabs will be harvested opportunity for the adult males

3. Size dependence reproductive failure (large females require large males for mating - if most of the large males are harvested, then females will go barren)

4. Reproductive failure due to lack of mature males (fishing mortality skews the sex ratio; although a single male may mate more than one female in laboratory conditions, in the natural environment the receptive females are not always in the proximity of the males when they are ready to mate).

The department therefore must have both an estimate of fishing mortality and a adult threshold level below which fishing should not occur. Although the new regulations significantly restrict season length, effort (pot limits), and allow some level of escapement through depth restrictions, an appropriate degree of fishing mortality cannot be calculated before the fishery occurs. After a number of seasons, historical fishing mortality can be

calculated; however at present, fishing a relatively depressed stock may be too great a risk to find out whether or not the subsequent fishing mortalities were conservative enough to prevent a mostly recruits-only fishery and another resultant depressed stock condition.

Annual adult population estimates would generate information to allow a threshold level to be set. Unfortunately, the adult male population of Dungeness crabs in Southern District cannot be assessed with a trawl, because they move from deep to shallow, untrawlable waters immediately after recruitment. However, there are at least two potential population estimation methods for Dungeness crabs. A depletion estimator can be calculated with good inseason commercial catch-per-unit-effort data collected by dockside interviews. Alternatively, legal population size can be estimated with relative abundance indices from pot surveys and commercial landings data using recently-developed measurement error methods.

A threshold level can be calculated indirectly from adult population estimates or directly from pot index data, fishery catch-per-unit-effort and total catch. This latter method of calculation requires a fishery. The management problem lies in harvesting the current depressed stock at any level, but without this harvest, threshold levels cannot be determined. Therefore, because 3-S management is not biologically acceptable in Cook Inlet, and because no data are currently available to set a biological threshold, a combination of pot survey catch per unit of effort and adult crab distribution will be used to determine the initial reopening of the commercial fishery.

In order for a commercial fishery for Dungeness crabs to open in the Southern District, survey catches, after completion of the recruitment event, must be indicative of an average of 15 adult males per pot, for either east or west of Homer Spit. Of the 15 adult males, at least 5 of these crabs must be legal size. The 15 adult males average is taken from the survey CPUE during the 1992 August and September surveys after the recruitment event was complete. The year 1992 represents both legal and sublegal peak catches of the large size group of crabs that are now passing through the end of its life cycle (Table 2). If these minimum requirements are not met in the survey data both east and west of the Spit, then the segment of the stock exhibiting the lowest number must at least show a significant increase in adult males over previous year's surveys.

If survey thresholds trigger a fishery opening, it is the department's intent to allow the fishery to remain open through the entire regulatory period. Dockside data including size and age frequency, catch and effort will be used post season to estimate fishing mortality and legal population size. ~ollowing year's surveys will determine relative postrecruit abundance and therefore

survival from the previous year's fishery. If this management strategy does not provide for sufficient escapement, then the department will propose more restrictive measures to the Board of Fisheries through the public process. These measures may include: reducing the pot limit and decreasing the season length. On the other hand, if escapement seems greater than necessary, the department will propose an extension to the season.

ina ally, this plan would be remiss not to mention that 3-s management is used elsewhere in Dungeness crab fishery management, most notably along the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although there are Dungeness crab stocks that have collapsed along the Pacific Northwest, e. g., Central California, 3-S is generally held to be a satisfactory management strategy in these states. This is because recruitment is regular and dependabe, and as a result, those fisheries have not collapsed. This is not the case in Cook Inlet where collapse has occurred. Recruitment events are not often enough to support a 3-S fishery in Cook Inlet.

Table 1. Dungeness crab commercial catch by year, Cook Inlet Management Area, 1961 - 1994.

Southern Other district districts Total No. of No. of

Year catch (Ibs.) catch (Ibs.) catch (Ibs.) vessels landings

1 93,683 530,770

1,665,599 41 7,005 74,211 1 2,523 7,168

484,452 49,894

209,819 97,161 38,930

308,777 71 8,729 361,893 1 18,903 74,195

1,212,571 2,130,963 1,875,281 1,850,977

81 8,380 746,585 799,638

1,389,891 550,968 761,423 677,334 170,266 28,938

Season closed Season closed Season closed

0 0

1 1,605 6,036

0 1 17,037

0 3,407

0 0 0 0

1,271 2,514

922 395 51 0

3,208 0 0 0

505 834 570

12,511 1 2,894 21,753 41,941 7,798

564 0

Confidential Confidential

1 93,683 530,no

1,677,204 423,04 1 74,211

129,560 7,168

487,859 49,894

209,819 97,161 38,930

31 0,048 721,243 362,815 1 19,298 74,705

1,215,779 2,130,963 1,875,281 1,850,977

81 8,885 747,419 800,208

1,402,402 563,862 783,176 71 9,275 178,064 29,502

0 Confidential Confidential

1994 Season closed Confidential Confidential Note: Average catch 1978- 1990 = 1 .O1 million pounds per year.

1 Two or less participants.

Table 2. Mean catch per pot (CPUE) of male Dungeness crabs in Southern District Dungeness pot surveys, 1990-94.

Number Year Dates Location pots Sublegals Legals Total

1 990 511 5- 511 7 East of Spit 90 0.5 0.2 0.7 611 9-6/21 90 0.7 0.3 1 .O

1 991 6104- 6/06 East of Spit 89 1.3 1.2 2.5 7109-7/11 90 4.3 2.9 7.2 8/06 - 810 8 90 6.9 5.3 12.2 911 2- 911 4 90 6.8 5.5 12.3

7/02-7106 West of Spit 82 0.1 0.1 0.1 811 4- 811 6 95 0.1 0.1 0.2

1992 5/31 -6104 East of Spit 89 3.1 2.0 5.1 6130- 7/02 89 6.6 5.4 13.0 7/27 - 7/29 90 6.9 5.9 12.8 811 1 -811 3 90 9.4 8.8 18.2 8125- 8/27 88 9.7 8.4 18.1 911 0-911 2 89 7.0 8.4 15.4 1 017 - 1 019 90 5.7 3.9 9.6

7/05-7107 West of Spit 96 0.1 0.2 0.2 8/07 - 8/08 78 0.6 0.8 1.4

1993 511 7-511 9 East of Spit 90 1.2 1.3 2.5 611 5 - 611 7 90 2.5 2.3 4.8 7/20 - 7/22 90 3.3 5.0 8.3 811 6-8/23 90 3.9 6.2 10.1 9/22 - 9/24 86 1.7 3.3 5.0

711 3-711 5 West of Spit 70 0.1 0.1 0.1 8/09 - 811 1 80 0.1 0.4 0.5

1994 5/23-5125 East of Spit 90 0.1 0.1 0.2 6/21 - 6/23 90 0.3 0.5 0. 8 711 9-7/21 90 0.4 1 .O 1.5 8/22 - 812 4 88 0.7 1.4 2.0

711 2-711 4 West of Spit 70 0.0 0.1 0.1 811 6-811 8 77 0.1 0.1 0.1

I/ Virtually all males captured are assumed to be adults. 21 33% of escape rings closed, 1992-94.

F i g u r e 2. Kachemak Bay (Sou the rn District). Cook I n l e t .

Appendix 0 ( p 11 of 12)

Legal Sublegal

I Year I Figure 3. Male Dungeness catch, June through August pot surveys in

Kachemak Bay, east of Homer Spit, 1991 - 1994.

0 2 5 50 75 100 125 150 175 200

WIDTH (5 mm groups)

I Figure 4. Male Dungeness catch. Southern District trawl survey, 1989 - 1994.

Appendix 0 ( p 12 of 12)

I 4.0 1 I Avg. width = 55.4 mm

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

WIDTH (1 mm groups) Flgure 5. Dungeness exoskeletons collected from Homer Splt, 1994.

*O 1 Avg. width = 109 mm --I

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160

WIDTH (5 mm groups) Flgure 6. Dungeness crabs collected from Homer Boat Harbor, September, 1994.

Draft Dungeness Crab Resource Management Policy

ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME POLICY ON DUNGENESS CRAB RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

raft as of 1/31/95)

GOAL AND BENEFITS

It is the goal of the Alaska Board of Fisheries and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to manage Dungeness crab stocks in a manner that will protect, maintain, improve, and extend these resources for the greatest overall benefit to Alaska. Achievement of this goal is necessarily constrained by the requirement to minimize: (1) risks of irreversible adverse effects on reproductive potential; (2) harvest during biologically sensitive periods of the life cycle; (3) adverse fishery impacts on non-targeted portions of stocks; and (4) potential public health problems.

Management of these Dungeness crab for the purpose of achieving this goal will result in a variety of benefits which include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) maintaining healthy stocks of Dungeness crabs of sufficient abundance to ensure their continued reproductive viability and the maintenance of their role in the ecosystem;

(2) providing a sustained and reliable supply of high quality product to the industry and consumers which will provide substantial and stable employment in all sectors of the economy relating to these fisheries; and

(3) providing opportunities for subsistence, sport, and personal use fisheries on these stocks.

POLICIES

TO achieve the management goal and provide the benefits available from these resources, it is necessary to adopt a policy which will protect stocks and provide for optimum utilization of these resources. It is the policy of the Alaska Board of Fisheries to:

1. Maintain crab stocks comprised of various size and age classes of mature animals in order to maintain the long term reproductive viability of the stock and reduce industrial dependency on annual recruitment, which is extremely variable. ~enefits of this policy are most apparent when weak recruitment occurs. As population abundance and structure change with declining recruitment, harvests rates should be reduced.

Appendix P ( p 2 of 5 )

Draft Dungeness Crab Resource Management Policy

2. Routinely monitor crab resources to provide information on abundance of females, as well as prerecruit, recruit, and postrecruit males. This is necessary to detect changes in the population which may require adjustments in management to prevent irreversible damage to the reproductive potential of each stock and to better achieve the benefits listed above. Harvests must be conducted in a conservative manner in the absence of adequate information on stocks.

3. Protect Dungeness crab stocks during biologically sensitive periods of their life cycle. Closure of the fishing season is necessary at times surrounding the annual mating, molting, and egg hatching periods in order to reduce unnecessary mortality of soft animals, disturbance during mating, and damage to egg clutches.

4. Establish regulations to promote harvesting crab that meet current acceptable health standards for human consumption as described by the Department of Environmental Conservation. Closures of fishing areas may be necessary to reduce the risk of taking crab in areas where high levels of paralytic shellfish poison toxins (PSP) are present.

5 . Minimize handling and unnecessary mortality of non-legal crabs and other non-target animals. Capture and handling of females, sublegal males, and animals of other species results in a loss of reproductive ability and biomass that may be detrimental to a stock.

6. Maintain an adequate brood stock to rebuild Dungeness crab populations when they are depressed. Maintenance of an adequate brood stock takes precedence over short term economic considerations. When populations are at or below threshold, the minimum stock size that allows sufficient recruitment so that the stock can rebuild itself, fisheries must be closed and must remain closed until there is adequate brood stock.

7 . ~stablish management measures in each fishing area based on the best available information. Stock and fishery characteristics, as well as available data, vary from area to area within Alaska. Actual management practices in each area will vary accordingly.

8. ~stablish regulations which will help improve the socio-economic aspects of management by: harvesting crab when their meat yield is highest; providing for fair starts and closures to seasons; insuring enforceability of regulations; and other measures providing for an orderly fishery.

The Board recognizes these policies may not result in maximization

Draft Dungeness Crab Resource Management Policy

of physical or economic yield. They will, however, provide better biological protection and help preserve the reproductive viability of Dungeness crab stocks which inherently vary in abundance due to environmental conditions. It will also increase the stability and longevity of the Dungeness crab fisheries beyond that provided by a recruits-only fishery.

MANAGEMENT MEASURES

The following management measures are available as tools to be used in order to carry out the policies on Dungeness crab management. Individual measures should be applied as necessary in areas and fisheries depending on available information and fishery characteristics.

1. Harvest Rates. Harvestable surpluses available from Dungeness crab stocks depend on the size and condition of the individual stock. Harvest rates represent the percentage of the legal stock that may be harvested during the biological season in accordance with the goal and policies of the Board..

Exact harvest rates in each situation are chosen based on abundance of prerecruit males and females, as well as legal males, the established minimum size or the actual size of crab landed, percentage of females bearing eggs, and the ratio of recruit to postrecruit males. When the acceptable annual harvest rate has been reached in an area, that area must be closed to fishing. Changes in harvest rates should appear in fishery management plans to be reviewed by the public and the Board.

For crab populations where stock abundance surveys are not conducted, indirect measures, such as a specified decline in the catch per unit of effort ( C P U E ) , should be used to evaluate harvest rates.

When stock abundance and condition in a management area are such that there is no harvestable surplus, the area or a portion of the area must be closed to fishing. Such areas must remain closed to fishing until the stock recovers to a level which is expected to produce a sustained harvestable surplus.

2. Size Limits. Size limits have a dual role in management. They provide some protection against over harvest and also provide for improved product quality. To provide for protection against over harvest on stocks where harvest rates are unknown or difficult to regulate, size limits are set to increase the probability of mating prior to harvest.

Draft Dungeness Crab Resource Management Policy

Smaller size limits may be established where stock size is accurately known and harvest rates are precisely controlled since harvest rates will have to be lowered to prevent over fishing.

Larger size limits may be established to ensure better marketability of the crab or provide increased long'term yield by limiting harvest of animals below a suboptimal size.

. Sex Restrictions. Harvest of Dungeness crabs is limited to males only in an attempt to provide full fertilization of females and increase the chances of reproductive success. This is particularly important at low stock levels. During periods of average or high abundance, in areas where stock size is accurately known and harvest rates are precisely controlled, this restriction may be'eliminated if it is demonstrated that the abundance of females results in no increase in recruitment to the fishery.

4. Fishing Seasons. Biological seasons should be set to minimize the harvest of Dungeness crabs during times surrounding the annual mating, molting, and egg hatching periods and for a sufficient time after molting to allow safe handling and acceptable product q-uality. Within the acceptable biological fishing season, actual fishing times may be further modified for economic reasons, such as to ensure high meat content of legal males and to reduce dead loss in the landings or to ensure that crab are taken at times when PSP levels are expected to be within acceptable levels.

5. Guideline Harvest Levels (GHL) . A preseason estimate of the level of allowable Dungeness crab harvest is established for each fishery. In those fisheries with accurate population estimates the appropriate harvest rate is applied to the best point estimate to determine the GHL. For those fisheries without surveys or historical catch information adequate for estimating the population size, the GHL will be set based on historical fishery performance, catch, and population trend.

6. Closed Areas. To minimize the handling and unnecessary mortality of non-legal and/or molting crabs, to prevent conflicts with other fisheries or stocks, or to minimize the occurrence of elevated levels of PSP, it may be necessary to close portions of management areas.

7. Gear Types. Fishing for Dungeness crabs is limited to pots, ring nets, or diving gear depending on area. This type of gear provides the most manageable type of fishery while minimizing potential damage to target and non-target portions of the stock or other species. Biodegradable panels are required in pots to minimize adverse effects of lost gear. Escape rings, large mesh panels, or other measures may be required in gear to reduce bycatch

Appendix P ( p 5 of 5)

Draft Dungeness Crab Resource Management Policy

of small crab

8. Inseason Adjustments. Inseason adjustments may be made to the guideline harvest level and length of the fishing season. ~nformation upon which such adjustments are based may include: (1) overall fishing effort: ( 2 ) catch per unit of effort and rate of harvest; ( 3 ) relative abundance of Dungeness crabs; (4) achievement of guideline harvest level (GHL); (5) proportion of soft-shelled crabs and rate of dead loss; (6) general information on stock condition including adequacy of reproductive stock; ( 7 ) timeliness and accuracy of catch reporting; (8) adequacy of subsistence harvests, (9) the impact of severe or unexpected environmental conditions on the handling and trapping mortality of crab, (10) the level of PSP toxin in legal crab, and (11) other factors that affect ability to meet objectives of the policy. When information shows that continued fishing effort would j eopardize the reproductive viability of Dungeness stocks within a registration area, or continued fishing would be counter to the goal and policies established by the Board, the registration area or a portion of the registration area will be closed by Emergency Order.

9. Other Measures. To meet the goal and policies for management of these fisheries, it may be necessary for the Board to adopt additional regulations or management measures. Controlling disease, reducing handling and trapping mortality during severe or unexpected environmental conditions, specifying registration requirements, tank inspections, gear storage, gear limitations, and other measures including regulation of other shellfish and finfish fisheries may be necessary in order to promote the protection and best overall usage of the Dungeness crab resource toward the stated goal.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game administers all programs and activities free from discrimination on the bases of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, or disability. For information on alternative formats for this and other department publications, please contact the department ADA Coordinator at (voice) 907-465-61 73, (TDD) 1-800- 478-3648, or (FAX) 907-586-6595. Any person who believes shelhe has been discriminated against should write to: ADF&G, P.O. Box 25526, Juneau, AK 99802-5526 or O.E.O., U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240.