Biologists developing the science and technology to raise wild king crab in hatcheries have received $460,000 to support work on assessing how hatchery crab may fare in the wild.
The Alaska King Crab Research, Rehabilitation and Biology program will use the funds to study how juvenile king crab cope with predators, find food, and interact with other marine organisms, including other crab. The aim of their research is to eventually help rebuild collapsed king crab stocks in parts of Alaska.
AKCRRAB is a coalition of university and federal scientists, fishermen, seafood businesses, coastal communities and Alaska Native groups that formed in 2006 to find ways to help Kodiak Island red king crab and blue king crab in the Pribilof Islands recover.
AKCRRAB scientists working at the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery in Seward have steadily improved red king crab larval survival in the hatchery: from two percent in 2007 to 31 percent in 2008 to 50 percent in 2009 and 2010. During the past two years, scientists have raised some 100,000 red king crab to their first juvenile stage.
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