Tag Archives: Jonah crabs
Crabby start to southwestern N.S. lobster season
Jonah crabs instead of lobster have been filling traps set by many southwestern Nova Scotia lobster fishermen fishing in lobster fishing area 34 the first week of the season. “Across the board, we’re hearing a massive biomass of female Jonah crab right now is loading up a lot of the traps, which is a pain for the crew,” says Heather Mulock, executive director of the Coldwater Lobster Association. “It’s always discouraging to see traps full of something you don’t want. One of the biggest concerns this year is the amount of crab.” Mulock said it’s not unusual for crews to have some crabs in their traps, but this year is different. “I’ve talked with enough fishermen, some who have been fishing 30 or 40 years, and they have never seen this much crab in their entire fishing career, so things are changing. Hopefully, this is another anomaly for LFA 34,” she said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:31
Jonah Crab Moves Mainstream In Gulf Of Maine After Decades As Lobster Bycatch
Regulators are taking comments on plans to expand a lucrative new crab fishery that’s stirring interest in the Gulf of Maine. Jonah crabs are a native species that, until recently, was mainly caught as bycatch – by accident – in lobster pots.,,, New Hampshire Fish and Game biologist Josh Carloni says in Northern New England and the Gulf of Maine, lobster is still king – but that could change. >click to read<11:42
If you find a crab with a green t-bar tag and/or orange knuckle tag marked with “AOLA” You could win money!
Massachusetts’s Division of Marine Fisheries, in collaboration with the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association, is tagging Jonah crabs to investigate migration patterns and growth. Information will be used for Jonah crab stock assessment. WHAT TO REPORT: date, location, tag #, crab sex, egg status and whether you kept or released the animal. For green tags only, if you have a way to measure carapace width in millimeters, we would appreciate that information as well. REWARDS: Every tag report will qualify as one raffle entry. Rewards will be drawn July 1, 2017 and July 1, 2018: 1st place – $500, 2nd place – $300, 3rd place $200. Green tag reports with width measurement will be additionally entered into high value cash raffles drawn July 1, 2017 and 2018: 1st place – $1,000, 2nd place $500 If you haul a tagged crab, please release it and contact (774) 251-9454 or [email protected] Click here 08:37
Jonah crabs booming in value as managers seek fishery plan
New England lobstermen are catching and selling more of a long-overlooked crab species in their traps, leading regulators to try to craft a management plan for the fishery before it becomes overexploited. The is working on regulations for Jonah crabs, a species common along the Eastern Seaboard that is rapidly growing in market share as an economic alternative to more expensive Dungeness and stone crabs. Read the rest here 10:26
Urchin depletion leads to crab abundance, study says
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A boom that saw Maine fishermen harvest millions of pounds of sea urchins for the lucrative Japanese market depleted the spiny sea creatures, turning the ecosystem upside-down and creating an ideal habitat for an urchin predator that has flourished, according to a new scientific study. continue reading
