The 2016 eastern Bering Sea continental shelf bottom trawl survey: Results for commercial crab species
Abstract
The eastern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey has been conducted annually since 1975 by the Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering Division of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service.
The purpose of this survey is to collect data on the distribution and abundance of crab, groundfish, and other benthic resources in the eastern Bering Sea.
These data are used to estimate population abundances for the management of commercially important species in the region.
This document includes the time series of results from 1975 to the present. In 2016, 375 standard stations were sampled on the eastern Bering Sea shelf.
Commercial crab species
2016 legal or preferred-sized male biomass (± 95% CI)
t* lb**
Bristol Bay District red king crab
(Paralithodes camtschaticus)
22,424
(6,580)
49,436,415
(14,507,018)
Pribilof District red king crab
3,653
(4,980)
8,054,292
(10,979,013)
Pribilof District blue king crab
(P. platypus)
68
(133)
149,350
(292,725)
St. Matthew Is. Section blue king crab
2,305
(1,612)
5,081,091
(3,553,166)
Southern Tanner crab (Chionoecetes bairdi), east 166° W
14,143
(3,707)
31,179,086
(8,171,664)
Southern Tanner crab, east 166° W
≥ 4.9 inches
10,695
(2,992)
23,578,378
(6,596,882)
Southern Tanner crab, west 166° W
31,252
(7,757)
68,898,479
(17,100,997)
Southern Tanner crab, west 166° W
≥ 4.9 inches
18,326
(5,168)
40,401,779
(11,393,507)
Snow crab, all Districts (C. opilio)
51,670
(10,928)
113,912,293
(24,091,861)
Snow crab, all Districts
≥ 4.0 inches
21,997
(5,482)
48,494,850
(12,086,818)
*Estimates for preferred size classes are those with sizes listed in the left column.
**Biomass estimates in pounds were derived by converting the raw length data to pounds using regressions in Table 3 prior to calculating the area-swept estimates.
