29.12.2013 Views

Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

percentage of the maximum stomach volume occupied by solid material was<br />

calculated, <strong>and</strong> the dry weight st<strong>and</strong>ardized by dividing it by the crab's<br />

wet weight. The stomach contents preserved in June were similiarly<br />

reanalyzed, except that the addition of preservative precluded measurement<br />

of total volume including the liquid.<br />

To determine stomach clearance rates for specific prey items, crabs<br />

from large trawls in August were held without food in the ship's live<br />

tank. Seven days after isolation examination of the stomachs of 5 crabs<br />

confirmed that all were empty except for liquid <strong>and</strong> that crabs held at<br />

least 7 days could be used in the experiment. After 7-12 days without<br />

food crabs were removed <strong>and</strong> their sex, wet weight, carapace length <strong>and</strong><br />

width, <strong>and</strong> shell condition determined. Individual juvenile king crab were<br />

tagged <strong>and</strong> placed into individual containers with seawater to be given a<br />

specific prey item. Individual crabs were presented with one of the<br />

following: p<strong>and</strong>alid shrimp, juvenile gadid fish (2-3 cm), barnacles<br />

(Balanus sp), small mussels (Mytilus edulis,

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!