scholarly journals Alternative bait trials in the Barents Sea snow crab fishery

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Araya-Schmidt ◽  
Leonore Olsen ◽  
Lasse Rindahl ◽  
Roger B. Larsen ◽  
Paul D. Winger
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Carapace Width ◽  
Cumulative Distribution ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Balaenoptera Acutorostrata ◽  
Fishing Vessels ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Pagophilus Groenlandicus ◽  
Snow Crabs

Commercial harvesting of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the Barents Sea started in 2012 by Norwegian fishing vessels. This new fishery has significant bait requirements, representing an emerging conservation challenge. In this study, we evaluate the performance of five alternative (natural) baits manufactured from the waste stream of existing and sustainably managed harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) and minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) capture. Five different types of new bait were evaluated, including seal fat (SF), seal fat with skin (SFS), seal meat with bone (SMB), whale fat with skin (WFS), and whale meat with fat (WMF). A comparative fishing experiment was conducted onboard a commercial snow crab fishing vessel in the Barents Sea (May–June, 2016) to evaluate the performance of traditional bait (squid, Illexs spp.) and alternative baits at catching snow crabs. Performance of the different baits were compared on the basis of the number of commercial crab caught per trap haul catch per unit effort (CPUE) and carapace width (CW). Our results showed that SF and SFS performed equally well to traditional bait, with no statistical difference in CPUE (p-value = 0.325 and 0.069, respectively). All of the other experimental baits significantly decreased CPUE, when compared to squid. No significant effect of bait treatment on CW was detected and the cumulative distribution of CW was the same between control traps and each of the bait treatments. Overall the results indicated that SF and SFS represent a viable alternative to replace traditional bait, addressing a key conservation challenge in this bait intensive snow crab fishery.

scholarly journals Effect of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on snow crab catch rates in the Barents Sea pot fishery

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 1893-1901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khanh Q Nguyen ◽  
Odd-Børre Humborstad ◽  
Svein Løkkeborg ◽  
Paul D Winger ◽  
Shannon M Bayse
Keyword(s):  
Capital Investment ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Light Emitting ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Catch Rates

Abstract Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) has become an important species for the Norwegian seafood industry since its first commercial harvest in 2012. However, periodically catch rates can be low, causing a financial strain on the fishery. Thus, improving the catch rate of existing pot designs has the potential to significantly improve the profitability of fishing enterprises. In this study, we investigated whether the addition of low-powered purple and white light-emitting diode (LED) fishing lights inside the pots could improve catch rates of snow crab in the Barents Sea. Results showed that pots with purple lights harvested a 12.8% higher catch per unit effort (CPUE; number of crab per pot) of legal-sized crab, which was significantly more than the control pots (p = 0.035); pots with white lights did not catch significantly more crab (p > 0.05). Pots equipped with only light (no bait) caught very few crabs and were not considered a viable alternative. Although purple LEDs increased snow crab capture, the economic benefits of using underwater lights in pots remains unclear given the high capital investment required.

scholarly journals Snow Crab in the Barents Sea: Managing a Non-native Species in Disputed Waters

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (0) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Tore Henriksen
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Law Of The Sea ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Coastal State ◽  
Fishing Vessels ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Right ◽  
A New Species

The introduction of a new species to the Barents Sea raises questions as to the rights and duties of states under the law of the sea to exploit, manage and conserve the species. This paper discusses three of them. The first question is whether the snow crab qualifies as a sedentary species. The entitlements and competence of states in respect of living marine resources depend on the location and the characteristics of the species. If it qualifies as a sedentary species under the law of the sea, it is subject to the sovereign rights of the coastal States. Otherwise, it is subject to the sovereign right of the coastal States as well as the freedom of fishing, dependent on its distribution. The second question is what, if any, obligations Norway as a coastal State has in respect of conservation and management of the snow crab and how Norway is complying with these obligations. This includes a discussion of whether the snow crab qualifies as an introduced, alien species and the possible implications for the obligations of the coastal State. The area of distribution of the snow crab includes waters within 200 nautical miles off Svalbard, raising a third question as to the implications of the 1920 Treaty concerning Spitsbergen (Svalbard Treaty) and in particular whether fishing vessels of Contracting parties have the right to participate in the harvest on an equal footing with Norwegian vessels. The Norwegian Snow Crab Regulations effectively reserves the harvest of snow crab for Norwegian fishing vessels. The paper discusses the implications of a recent decision by the Norwegian Supreme Court on dismissal of an appeal by a Latvian vessel and its captain convicted for illegal harvest of snow crab within 200 nautical miles off Svalbard.

scholarly journals A first fecundity study of the female snow crab Chionoecetes opilio Fabricius, 1788 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Oregoniidae) of the newly established population in the Barents Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-492
Author(s):  
Hanna E H Danielsen ◽  
Ann M Hjelset ◽  
Bodil A Bluhm ◽  
Carsten Hvingel ◽  
Ann-Lisbeth Agnalt
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Carapace Width ◽  
Mature Female ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
High Maximum ◽  
Established Species ◽  
Established Population ◽  
Individual Fecundity

Abstract The snow crab Chionoecetes opilioFabricius, 1788 is a newly established species in the Barents Sea. Since the first individuals were recorded in 1996, the population has increased and a fishery was initiated in 2012. Mature female snow crab caught in the central Barents Sea were investigated with regards to fecundity. Ovigerous females (N = 185) ranged from 48 to 100 mm carapace width (CW). Fecundity was 15,000–184,000 eggs per female with 100% clutch fullness, and was positively related to body size (fecundity = 0.233 * CW2.944) consistent with relationships described for other snow crab populations. Eight females had less than 100% clutch fullness, two of which had only 10% clutch fullness along with an old shell, indicating senescence. Dry egg weight was on average 0.065 mg and was hardly affected by CW. Females across all sizes invest similarly in individual eggs, and potential size-dependent differences in fitness are more related to the number of eggs produced than to the investment into individual eggs. We conclude that the fecundity-at-size of females is overall comparable to that of other populations, although the presence of large females results in high maximum individual fecundity estimates.

Functional Maturity in Small Male Snow Crabs (Chionoecetes opilio)

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (12) ◽  
pp. 2106-2109 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. Ennis ◽  
R. G. Hooper ◽  
D. M. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Development ◽  
Carapace Width ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Small Male ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Breeding Migration ◽  
High Level ◽  
Snow Crabs

The mean size of male snow crabs (Chionoecetes opilio) in sexual pairs during the annual spring breeding migration to shallow water in Bonne Bay, Newfoundland, decreased from 118.6 mm carapace width (CW) in 1983 to 100.3 mm in 1987. This decrease is due to an increase in males <95 mm CW participating from 1.5% in 1983 to 32.3% in 1987. This change appears to have resulted from a reduced abundance of commercial size [Formula: see text] males due to a rapid development of an illegal fishery on this previously unfished population and, as a consequence, less competition between males for possession of females. The percentages of spermathecae containing new spermatophores for females paired with males <95 mm CW (67%) and those with males [Formula: see text] (79%) were not significantly different. We assumed that each female with new spermatophores had recently mated with the male with which it was paired. Observations on selected pairs in captivity showed that males <95 mm CW are capable of mating with both primiparous and muitiparous females. Our results indicate that small mature males can replace large males in breeding activity in a snow crab population. We conclude that in the male-only snow crab fishery in Atlantic Canada with a minimum legal size of 95 mm CW, population reproductive potential is maintained at a high level despite high exploitation rates on males [Formula: see text].

scholarly journals Marine mammals' influence on ecosystem processes affecting fisheries in the Barents Sea is trivial

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J Corkeron
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Fishery Management ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Primary Component ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Balaenoptera Acutorostrata ◽  
The Barents Sea

Some interpretations of ecosystem-based fishery management include culling marine mammals as an integral component. The current Norwegian policy on marine mammal management is one example. Scientific support for this policy includes the Scenario Barents Sea (SBS) models. These modelled interactions between cod, Gadus morhua , herring, Clupea harengus , capelin, Mallotus villosus and northern minke whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata . Adding harp seals Phoca groenlandica into this top-down modelling approach resulted in unrealistic model outputs. Another set of models of the Barents Sea fish–fisheries system focused on interactions within and between the three fish populations, fisheries and climate. These model key processes of the system successfully. Continuing calls to support the SBS models despite their failure suggest a belief that marine mammal predation must be a problem for fisheries. The best available scientific evidence provides no justification for marine mammal culls as a primary component of an ecosystem-based approach to managing the fisheries of the Barents Sea.

scholarly journals Temperature selection and the final thermal preferendum of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio, Decapoda) from the Barents Sea

Polar Biology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. 1911-1914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sten Ivar Siikavuopio ◽  
Snorre Bakke ◽  
Bjørn Steinar Sæther ◽  
Tina Thesslund ◽  
Jørgen S. Christiansen
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Temperature Selection ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio ◽  
The Barents Sea

Evidence for a permanent establishment of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the Barents Sea

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 587-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Alvsvåg ◽  
A.-L. Agnalt ◽  
K. E. Jørstad
Keyword(s):  
Barents Sea ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Permanent Establishment
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document