Document Type

Article

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Publication Date

2011

Journal

Fishery Bulletin

Volume

109

Issue

1

First Page

48

Last Page

55

Abstract

Crab traps have been used extensively in studies on the population dynamics of blue crabs to provide estimates of catch per unit of effort; however, these estimates have been determined without adequate consideration of escape rates. We examined the ability of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) to escape crab pots and the possibility that intraspecific crab interactions have an effect on catch rates. Approximately 85% of crabs that entered a pot escaped, and 83% of crabs escaped from the bait chamber (kitchen). Blue crabs exhibited few aggressive behavioral interactions in and around the crab pot and were documented to move freely in and out of the pot. Both the mean number and size of crabs caught were significantly smaller at deeper depths. Results from this study show that current estimates of catch per unit of effort may be biased given the high escape rate of blue crabs documented in this study. The results of this paper provide a mechanistic view of trap efficacy, and reveal crab behavior in and around commercial crab pots.

Keywords

Chesapeake Bay; Homarus-Americanus; Cancer-Magister; Traps; Predator; Catches; Crustaceans; Lobsters; Rathbun; Habitat

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