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Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

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Marasco 1980). Legal size at recruitment is about 135 mm carapace<br />

length <strong>and</strong> 165 mm (6 1/2") width <strong>and</strong> mean annual weight per animal<br />

fluctuates from 6.4 to 7.5 lbs (Eaton 1980; NOAA 1981). Annual fishing<br />

mortality is managed to approximate 40% (NOAA 1981) but the percent of<br />

the fishery constituted by new recruits has varied from 67% in 1977 to<br />

47% in 1979, indicating that differential natural mortality rates can<br />

significantly affect the importance of any single year-class to the<br />

fishery (Eaton 1980). Oil pollution that adversely affects a significant<br />

portion of larvae in any year-class could eventually impact the<br />

fishery despite both longevity of the species <strong>and</strong> commercial stock<br />

comprised of two to three year-classes.<br />

Most of the U.S. Bering Sea fishery for blue king crab is centered<br />

off St. Paul (Fig .3.6) <strong>and</strong> St. Matthew Isl<strong>and</strong>s. L<strong>and</strong>ings have increased<br />

from about 2.4 million lb in 1975 to 10.8 million lb in 1980<br />

(Otto 1981; Pacific Packers Report 1981). In 1981 l<strong>and</strong>ings from the<br />

Pribilof district decreased 20% <strong>and</strong> dropped further in 1982 (INPFC 1982;<br />

Otto et al. 1982), reflecting the reduction predicted by the NMFS trawl<br />

survey. It is significant that for the first time in the fisheries,<br />

l<strong>and</strong>ings of blue king crab surpassed those for red king in the southeastern<br />

Bering Sea during 1982 (R. Otto, NMFS Kodiak, pers. communication,<br />

1-5-83).<br />

555

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