Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

at one 50 m deep TB station west of the TB stations where crabs had been
previously found (Figure 3.6-3).
Results of correlation analysis using densities of age 3+ and older red
king crabs (Tables 3.5-3 to 3.5-5) indicated a positive, although not
significant, correlation with depth and a general negative correlation
with bottom water temperature. Densities of these crabs correlated with
sea onion biomass during the June and September cruises (r=0.5877,
r=0.5391, respectively). Bottom water temperature showed a strong
negative correlation during September (r=0.5056).
Multiple linear regression results are shown in Appendix E. Sea
urchin biomass was the most important single variable (r 2 =0.4224)
during April-May, with the greatest variability explained in the fivevariable
model by the combination of sea urchin, flatfishes, roundfishes,
salinity and temperature (r 2 =0.6149). Analyses of data from
the September cruise resulted in the sea onion being most important in
the single variable model (r 2 =0.3873); sea onion and temperature
were most important in the two-variable model (r 2 =0.5714); and the
combination of sea onion, temperature, bryozoa, flatfishes and roundfishes
accounted for the greatest variability in the five-variable model
(r 2 =0.6212).
A small number of ovigerous female red king crabs were collected during
this study; their distribution is shown in Figure 3.6-4. Most of
the ovigerous females found were in the vicinity of the 50 m isobath
separating the TB and BB subareas. Three individuals were found at
70 m in the eastern part of subarea BB during the April-May cruise, and
one individual was found at 70 m along the PM-BB border during the
September cruise. The biological information collected for ovigerous
females is summarized in Table 3.6-2. Egg condition information shown
in the table indicates that larvae were hatching as late as the June
cruise in some areas.
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