Red king crab larvae are successfully reared at hatchery

Red king crab glaucothoe on artificial seaweed.

Research biologists are finishing larval rearing at the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery, as red king crabs reach the glaucothoe stage. Ben Daly and Jim Swingle achieved a huge success in production with over 50% survival to the glaucothoe stage, which yielded more than 250,000 individuals. The crabs will remain as glaucothoe for about 20 days before making the transition to benthic juvenile stages. Glaucothoe are also referred to as "post-larvae," a semi-benthic stage when they do not require food. In nature, glaucothoe spend their time searching for suitable benthic habitat to grow as juveniles. Switching from a pelagic to benthic life stage is a critical point in the life history of king crab. Hatchery biologists are learning the best practices for holding large numbers of glaucothoe in terms of substrate types, tank design, and water quality to maximize survival to the first juvenile stage. Researchers plan to investigate behavior, nutritional requirements, growth patterns, and ecological fitness of hatchery-reared king crabs, led by Ginny Eckert (UAF, Juneau Center), Sherry Tamone (UAS, Juneau), and Allan Stoner (Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Newport, OR).

In other news, Ginny Eckert received funding from the National Marine Fisheries Service Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program to continue king crab aquaculture research. Funds will be used to investigate hatchery and grow-out methods for blue and red king crab.

AKCRRAB is a research and enhancement project sponsored by the Alaska Sea Grant College Program, UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, NOAA Fisheries, the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery, community groups, and industry members. For more information go to http://seagrant.uaf.edu/research/projects/initiatives/king_crab/general.