SOME ASPECTS OF THE ECOLOGY AND BIOLOGY OF TWO CANCER SPECIES
Loading...
Date
1980-12
Authors
Selby, Richard S.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
As a commercially exploited species the Dungeness Crab, Cancer magister, has generated a fairly large, unconsolidated body of literature. Initial research undertaken in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California dealt with general biology and the fishery, with the goal of determining the adequacy of fishery regulations. At that time no danger of overfishing was thought to exist, although fishery effort was intensifying (Cleaver 1949). A number of authors also noted a coastwide cycling in abundance of crab landings. However, after the 1960-1961 season the central California fishery did not recover from low levels of abundance associated with a cyclic minimum. Concern for this fishery prompted a new wave of investigations of population dynamics, making use of recent ecological theory, computer analysis and modeling techniques. The possibility that the fishery could alter natural population cycles, resulting in drastically lowered population levels throughout the species' range, was suggested. The purpose of this paper is critically to review the ecology and exploitation of magister using the information gathered throughout the last 60 years
Description
96 pages
Keywords
Cancer Magister, Salinity Effects, Marine Biology, Marine Ecology, Dungeness Crab