LAUSR

AbstractThe Dungeness crab Metacarcinus magister (Cancer magister) supports a commercially important fishery along the West Coast of the United States. Only male crabs above a certain size limit may be retained (i.e., legal-size males). Escape rings are used in traps to create circular holes that facilitate the release of both females and undersized males (sublegal crabs). Sublegal crabs that are retained in a trap can suffer stress, injury, and mortality. In this experiment, both the location and size of the escape ring were modified in an effort to reduce retention rates of sublegal crabs. Four different trap configurations were used: (1) a standard trap without escape rings (control configuration); (2) an unmodified trap with two 4.25-in-diameter escape rings on top (standard configuration); (3) a standard trap with one 4.25-in-diameter escape ring placed in each corner adjacent with the bottom (modified 4.25-in configuration); and (4) a trap with two 4.5-in-diameter escape rings on top and one 4.5-in-...