Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

abundance in time and space is correlated to that of mature females
cannot be solidly analyzed from data on hand; specifically a long-term
series of comprehesnsive larval red king crab collections does not
exist.
Still, there is an indication that changes in abundance and
distribution of benthic females might influence larval production in the
water column.
Population estimates for mature female red king crab (as well as
males and other species of crab) are computed by NMFS for 400 NM 2
quadrats as part of an annual groundfish survey (see Otto, MacIntosh,
Armetta and Wilson 1980; Otto et al. 1981, 1982).
Fig. 3.22 shows data for
four years and depicts major shifts in numbers and location of mature
females in southeastern Bering Sea. A gross analysis of this data was performed
by averaging population estimates in quadrats that fell within
three general areas:
1 stratum I along the western NAS; 2) stratum II
to the east; and 3) the remainder of Bristol Bay (all three areas are
shown for the year 1978 in Fig. 3.22; strata I and II correspond to
areas used for larval analyses in Fig. 3.16).
Actual catch values could
not be obtained from NMFS in time for this report, so mean female abundance
was calculated by taking midpoint values for the ranges shown in
each quadrat.
In the years 1975-1977 ranges were 1-2,000 crabs
(midpoint = 1,000), 2,001-5,000 (3,500), 5,001-20,000 (12,500), and
greater than 20,001 (25,000).
From 1978 through 1982 ranges were
somewhat different; 1-2,000 (midpoint = 1,000), 2,001-10,000 (6,000),
10,001-20,000 (15,000), and greater than 20,000 (25,000).
586