ECOLOGICAL DATA
Distribution: common and widespread in sandy areas along
B.C. coast.
Habitat: sandy substrate; may occur on mud and gravel; often buried just below
surface of sand or in vegetation; planktonic larvae dispersed by currents; juveniles
remain in intertidal and shallow subtidal hiding beneath or among plants, rocks and shell
debris until 2nd summer; breeding occurs in inshore waters and females may move to deeper
water to hatch eggs.
Tidal elevation: intertidal to over 180 m subtidal depth.
Food: bivalves, crustaceans, marine worms and fish.
Predators: octopus, halibut, dogfish, sculpins, rockfish, birds, and larger
crabs.
GROWTH RATE
Must molt to grow; females and males sexually mature at 100 and
150 mm, respectively (2-3 yr); males reach legal size (165 mm) at 3-4 yr; females seldom
reach legal size.
FISHERY
Supports valuable commercial, Native and sport crab fisheries;
minimum legal size is 165 mm carapace width; 1986 total crab commercial catch was 1,321 t
valued at $5.7 million.
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REFERENCES
Butler, T.H. 1986. Crabs, p. 54-58. In G.S. Jamieson and
K. Fransis. [ed.] Invertebrate and marine plant resources of British Columbia. Can. Spec.
Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 91.
Dinnel, P.A., D.A. Armstrong, and O. McMillan. 1986. Dungeness crab, Cancer magister,
distribution, recruitment, growth and habitat use in Lumni Bay, Washington. Univ. Wash.
School Fish. Fish. Res. Inst. FRI-UW-8612, Seattle: 61 p.
Hart, J.F.L. 1982. Crabs and their relatives of British Columbia. B.C. Prov. Mus.
Handb. 40: 212-213.
Jamieson, G.S. 1985. The Dungeness crab fisheries of British Columbia. Proc. Sym.
Dungeness Crab Biol. and Manage. Lowell Wakefield Fish. Sym. Ser. Alas. Sea Grant Rep.
85-3: 37-60.
Jamieson, G.S., A.C. Phillips, and W.S. Huggett. 1989. Effects of ocean variability on
the abundance of Dungeness crab megalopae. Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci. (in press).
Waddell, B.J. 1986. Roberts Bank crab habitat loss response study final report
(1981-1985). Prep. for Roberts Bank Environ. Rev. Com., Dep. Fish. Oceans and Port of
Vancouver: 53 p.
Wild, P. W., and R. N. Tasto. 1983. Life history, environment, and mariculture studies
of the Dungeness crab, Cancer magister, with emphasis on the central California
fishery resource. Calif. Dep. Fish Game Fish Bull. 172: 352 p.
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