Alaska King Crab Rehab and Research Program

Robert Foy

Alaska Fisheries Science Center

Crab Science Symposium

September 16, 2013

The Problem: Where did the king crab go?

Why have they not rebounded without fishing?

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 2

If larvae are being swept away by

currents (changes in oceanography

or acidification), or overfishing

threshold reached

Enhancement could help stock crab

AFTER the larval stage

If habitat has changed or predators

have increased… Enhancement may not be effective

Control 7.8 pH 7.5 pH

Crab Culturing: some History

1990s Field studies on post-larval supply by ADF&G

1992 International King Crab Rehabilitation and Enhancement Symposium

1996 Kodiak Lab culturing research

2000-2005 blue king crab diet and habitat studies

2004 formation of AKCRRAB

2006 Alaska Crab Stock Enhancement and Rehabilitation Workshop

Blue King Crab

Paralithodes

platypus

Red King Crab

Paralithodes

camtschaticus

What is AKCRRAB….

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 4

• Formed in 2004

• Coalition of university, federal and stakeholder groups.

• Goals: adding to the scientific understanding of crab life history

and ecology, and rehabilitating depressed king crab stocks in

Alaska.

• Initial focus: red king crab in the Kodiak Island region and blue

king crab near the Pribilof Islands.

• Belief: Important for regional long-term economic development

and sustainability.

• Final Goal: transition hatchery techniques and outplanting

technologies to communities and industry as part of statewide

efforts to help rehabilitate depleted king crab stocks.

Strategic Plan

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 5

PRODUCTION

I. Broodstock Collection

II. Broodstock Holding

POPULATION AND STOCK DIFFERENTIATION

I. Genetics

II. Marking

PRE_RELEASE STUDIES

I. Hatchery-Wild Interactions

II. Nursery Habitat

OUTPLANTING AND FEASIBILITY STUDIES

2011-2012 mass rearing in Kodiak

Production

Does water filtration affect survival?

Do hatchery water sources affect survival in the lab?

Do different diets affect survival in the lab?

Diet treatments

Conducted in Kodiak and Seward

1) newly-hatched Artemia nauplii

2) newly-hatched Artemia nauplii

and the diatom Thalassiosira

nordenskioeldii

Water source treatments

1) seawater from Resurrection Bay

2) seawater made with artificial

sea salt (Instant Ocean®)

Thallasiosira

nordenskioeldii

Artemia nauplius

Enhancement Science:

What do we need to know first?

Production

Can we separate them?

Enhancement Science:

Just when you thought it was safe…the crab

ate each other!!

YES AND NO

Day

0 50 100 150 200 250

% S

urviv

al

20

40

60

80

100

Small

Medium

Large

Production

Can we separate them?

Enhancement Science:

Just when you thought it was safe…the crab

ate each other!!

YES AND NO

Prey Density

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Pro

po

rtio

n E

ate

n

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Sand

Shell Hash

Shell

Sand/Shell Hash

Shell

Red king crab inter-cohort cannibalism

in red king crab

Stock at HIGH DENSITY

Stock every 2 years

Strategic Plan

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 13

PRODUCTION

I. Broodstock Collection

II. Broodstock Holding

POPULATION AND STOCK DIFFERENTIATION

I. Genetics

II. Marking

PRE_RELEASE STUDIES

I. Hatchery-Wild Interactions

II. Nursery Habitat

OUTPLANTING AND FEASIBILITY STUDIES

2010

• Hatchery-reared king crabs show weak habitat preference

• RKC ‘smarter’ than BKC

• Predator presence increases preference for complex

habitat

• Some evidence for density dependence

• Predation by year-1 RKC on BKC is lower in complex

habitat

• RKC have a competitive advantage over BKC when

reared together

Pribilof Islands: will they get along?

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 14

15

Hatchery crab: will they fit in?

Strategic Plan

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 16

PRODUCTION

I. Broodstock Collection

II. Broodstock Holding

POPULATION AND STOCK DIFFERENTIATION

I. Genetics

II. Marking

PRE_RELEASE STUDIES

I. Hatchery-Wild Interactions

II. Nursery Habitat

OUTPLANTING AND FEASIBILITY STUDIES

Habitat characterization and utilization of early

benthic phase red king crab on Kodiak Island

2008 project goals: •Identify areas of larval supply •Characterize initial settlement habitat •Assess relationship between areas of supply and settlement

2009 project goals:

•Identify larval supply in historically known red king crab habitat

•Quantify settlement density

•Habitat use by early benthic and juvenile phase

•Annual progression of biogenic habitat in 2009-2010

Habitat characterization and utilization of early benthic phase red king

crab on Kodiak Island

OUTPLANTING AND FEASIBILITY STUDIES

Where to stock crab?

Are crab already there?

How many crab can an area hold?

What is the genetic variability?

What habitat is necessary and available?

What competitors and predators might be there?

Enhancement Science:

So lets put some in the ocean…the Kodiak

experiment

2009 project goals: •Assess habitat in Sitkalidak Straits near Old Harbor, Kodiak •Use HSI models to quantify habitat and develop an index •Habitat types: inter/sub tidal, slope, deep soft, deep firm

2010 project goals:

•Expand understanding of habitat

availability

•Assess predator densities and

relationship to substrate

Old Harbor: experimental outstocking

2011 project goals:

•Compare Old Harbor to Alitak

Juvenile RKC density m-2

Habitat Old Harbor Alitak

Hard 0.00 0.34

Hard Macroalgae 0.00 0.07

Soft 0.00 0.00

Soft Macroalgae 0.00 0.00

Hard: > 50% rock, shell, or gravel

Soft: ≥ 50 % sand or mud

Macroalgae: > 50% macroalgae cover

Substrate is more important than

structure forming biota

Old Harbor: experimental outstocking

Old Harbor: experimental outstocking

• When?

• Now

• How many?

• 13,000 (but don’t worry, they are small)

• What is the most effective density?

• Assess daily, weekly, monthly

• Stay tuned!

Pribilof Islands: available habitat?

• Has habitat changed in the past 40 year?

• Where could we work on experiments?

• What habitat is available in the Pribilofs?

• Stay tuned!

0.00

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20.00

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40.00

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198

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6

198

8

199

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0crab

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)

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 25

Community/Industry

Alaskan Shellfish Growers Association

Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association

Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery

Central Bering Sea Fishermen's Association

Chugach Regional Resources Commission

Gulf of Alaska Coastal Communities Coalition

Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation

United Fishermen's Marketing Association

Government/University

NOAA Aquaculture Program

NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service

University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences

University of Alaska Southeast

Supporters

Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers

Bering Sea Fisheries Research Foundation

Groundfish Forum

Santa Monica Seafoods

Authors, Coauthors, and Collaborators • Alutiiq Pride Shellfish

Hatchery

• Karen Barnard

• Janelle Christianson

• Kyle Tidwell

• Cathrine Hancock

• Lexa Meyer

• Karen Barnard

• Caitlin Harris

• Heather Page

• Ryan Fields

• Chris Long

• Kathy Swiney

• Sara Persselin

• Jessica Popp

• Ben Cournoyer

• Al Stoner

• Ginny Eckert

• Eric Munk

• Pete Cummiskey

• Ben Daily

• Jan Haaga

• Scott Van Sant

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries | Page 27

AKCRRAB Steering Committee

Dr. David Christie, Director, Alaska Sea Grant Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Co-chair

Heather McCarty, Central Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association, Co-chair

Dr. Ginny Eckert, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Dr. Robert Foy, Director, Kodiak Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA

Jeff Hetrick, Director, Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery, Seward

Chris Mierzejek, Aleutian Pribilof Island Development Association

Rodger Painter, Alaskan Shellfish Growers Association

Jeff Stephan, Executive Director, United Fishermen’s Marketing Association, Kodiak

Gale Vick, Gulf of Alaska Coastal Communities Coalition (GOAC3)

AKCRRAB Science Committee

Dr. Ginny Eckert, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Chair

Dr. David Christie, Director, Alaska Sea Grant Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Ben Daly, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Dr. Robert Foy, Director, Kodiak Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA

Jeff Hetrick, Director, Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery, Seward

Dr. Chris Long, Kodiak Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA

Doug Pengilly, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Kodiak

Dr. Al Stoner, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Newport, Oregon

Jim Swingle, Research Biologist, Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery/Alaska Sea Grant Program

Dr. David Tallmon, University of Alaska Fairbanks/University of Alaska Southeast