Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T08:28:31.976Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reproductive maturity in the edible Chilean crab Cancer edwardsii: methodological and management considerations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2009

Luis Miguel Pardo ,
Juan Pablo Fuentes ,
Andrés Olguín  and
J.M. (Lobo) Orensanz
Luis Miguel Pardo*
Affiliation:
Universidad Austral de Chile, Instituto de Biología Marina, Laboratorio Costero Calfuco, Valdivia, Chile
Juan Pablo Fuentes
Affiliation:
Universidad Austral de Chile, Instituto de Biología Marina, Laboratorio Costero Calfuco, Valdivia, Chile
Andrés Olguín
Affiliation:
Instituto de Fomento Pesquero, Blanco 839, Valparaíso, Chile
J.M. (Lobo) Orensanz
Affiliation:
CENPAT, 9120 Puerto Madryn, Argentina
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: L.M. Pardo, Universidad Austral de Chile, Instituto de Biología Marina, Laboratorio Costero Calfuco, Valdivia, Chile email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Size-at-maturity, often used by fisheries managers to specify reference points, was estimated for Cancer edwardsii, the most intensely exploited brachyuran crab in Chile, using morphometric data and observation of the gonadal cycle. Sampling was conducted in Chiloé Island, the principal landing region. Several morphometric measurements of secondary sexual characters were recorded for both sexes. Their size-dependence was investigated in search of ontogenetic allometric changes. Six stages of maturity were established for females, and four for males, on the basis of macroscopic and histological observation of the reproductive system, allowing distinction between adults and juveniles. Females and males, on average, attained full development of secondary sexual characters at 106 and 118 mm carapace width (CW) respectively. The CW at which 50% of females and males have gonads of adult appearance was around 101 mm. Current minimum legal size is 120 mm CW, seemingly high enough for conservation purposes. This management control, however, is unlikely to provide effective protection due to the high proportion of crab of sub-legal size in the landings. Traps with escape vents could be introduced in this fishery in order to ensure its sustainability.

Keywords

Cancer edwardsiiChilecrab fisherylegal sizegonadal developmentallometrysize at maturity
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 89 , Issue 8 , December 2009 , pp. 1627 - 1634
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aguilar, M. and Pizarro, P. (2006) Empleo de ventanas de escape en trampas para la captura de jaiba peluda (Cancer setosus) en Iquique, Chile. Investigaciones Marinas, Valparaiso 34, 63–70.Google Scholar
Arendse, C.J., Govender, A. and Branch, G.M. (2007) Are closed fishing seasons an effective means of increasing reproductive output? A per-recruit simulation using the limpet Cymbula granatina as a case history. Fisheries Research 85, 93–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, A. and Eagles, M.D. (1983) Size at maturity and fecundity of rock crabs, Cancer irroratus, from the Bay of Fundy and southwestern Nova Scotia. Fishery Bulletin 81, 357–362.Google Scholar
Cobo, V.J. and Fransozo, A. (2005) Physiological maturity and relationships of growth and reproduction in the red mangrove crab Goniopsis cruentata (Latreille) (Brachyura, Grapsidae) on the cost of São Paulo, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 22, 219–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ennis, G.P., Hooper, R.G. and Taylor, D.M. (1990) Changes in the composition of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) participating in the annual breeding migration in Bonne Bay, Newfoundland. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 47, 2242–2249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fischer, S. and Wolff, M. (2006) Fisheries assessment of Callinectes arcuatus (Brachyura, Portunidae) in the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica. Fisheries Research 77, 301–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gill, P.E. and Murray, W. (1978) Algorithms for the solution of the nonlinear least-squares problem. Journal on Numerical Analysis 15, 977–992.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goshima, S., Kanazawa, M., Yoshimo, K. and Wada, S. (2000) Maturity in male stone crab Hapalogaster dentata (Anomura: Lithodidae) and its application for fisheries management. Journal of Crustacean Biology 20, 641–646.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, N.G., Smith, K.D., de Lestang, S. and Potter, I.C. (2006) Does the largest chela of the males of three crab species undergo an allometric change that can be used to determine morphometric maturity? ICES Journal of Marine Science 63, 140–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartnoll, R.G. (1982) Growth. In Abele, L.G. (ed.) The biology of Crustacea. Volume II. Embryology, morphology and genetics. New York: Academic Press, pp. 111–196.Google Scholar
Howard, A.E. (1982) The distribution and behaviour of ovigerous edible crabs (Cancer pagurus), and consequent sampling bias. Journal du Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer 40, 259–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jamieson, G.S. and Caddy, J.F. (1984) Research advice and its application to management of invertebrates resources: an overview. In Jamieson, G.S. and Bourne, J. (eds.) North Pacific workshop on stock assessment and management of invertebrates. Canadian Special Publication in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 92, 416–424.Google Scholar
Johnson, P.T. (1980) Histology of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus: a model for Decapoda. New York: Praeger Publishers.Google Scholar
Knuckey, I.A. (1996) Maturity in male mud crabs, Scylla serrata, and the use of mating scars as a functional indicator. Journal of Crustacean Biology 16, 487–495.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minagawa, H. and Higuchi, S. (1997) Analysis of size, gonadal maturation, and functional maturity in the spiny lobster Palinurus japonicus (Decapoda: Palinuridae). Journal of Crustacean Biology 17, 70–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mura, M., Orrù, F. and Cau, A. (2005) Size at sexual maturity of the spider crab Anamathia rissoana (Decapoda: Majoidea) from the Sardinian sea. Journal of Crustacean Biology 25, 110–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myers, R.A. and Mertz, G. (1998) The limits of exploitation: a precautionary approach. Ecological Applications 8, S165–S169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neter, J., Wasserman, W. and Kutner, M.H. (1989) Applied linear regression models, 2nd edition, Homewood, IL: Irwin.Google Scholar
Olguín, A., Barahona, N., Bernal, C., Young, Z., Orensanz, J.M., Montenegro, C., Quiroz, J., Toledo, C., Baez, P. and Bahamonde, R. (2006) Monitoreo de la pesquería artesanal de jaibas en la X y XI Regiones. Final report FIP 2004–16, 114 pp.Google Scholar
Orensanz, J.M. and Gallucci, V.F. (1988) Comparative studies of postlarval life-history schedules in four sympatric species of Cancer (Decapoda: Brachyura: Cancridae). Journal of Crustacean Biology 8, 187–220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orensanz, J.M., Parma, A.M., Armstrong, D.A., Armstrong, J. and Wardrup, P. (1995) The breeding ecology of Cancer gracilis (Crustacea: Decapoda: Cancridae) and the mating systems of cancrid crabs. Journal of Zoology 235, 411–437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pool, H., Montenegro, C., Canales, C., Barahona, N. and Vicencio, C. (1998) Análisis de la pesquería de jaiba en la X Región. Final report FIP 96–35. 76 pp.Google Scholar
Roa, R., Ernst, B. and Tapia, F. (1999) Estimation of size at sexual maturity: an evaluation of analytical and resampling procedures. Fishery Bulletin 97, 570–580.Google Scholar
Sainte-Marie, B., Sevigny, J.M. and Carpentier, M. (2002) Interannual variability of sperm reserves and fecundity of primiparous females of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in relation to sex ratio. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 59, 1932–1940.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SERNAPESCA (2002–2006) Estadísticas anuales de desembarques. Servicio Nacional de Pesca de Chile, Gobierno de Chile.Google Scholar
Shepherd, J.G. (1993) Key issues in the conservation of fisheries. Lowestoft: Laboratory leaflet 74, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.Google Scholar
Somerton, D.A. (1980) A computer technique for estimating the size of sexual maturity in crabs. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 37, 1488–1494.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tallack, S.M.L. (2007) The reproductive cycle and size at maturity observed in Cancer pagurus in the Shetland Islands, Scotland. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 87, 1181–1198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Udupa, K.S. (1986) Statistical method for estimating the size at first maturity in fishes. Fishbyte 4, 8–10.Google Scholar
Ungfors, A. (2007) Sexual maturity of the edible crab (Cancer pagurus) in the Skagerrak and the Kattegat, based on reproductive and morphometric characters. ICES Journal of Marine Science 64, 318–327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wada, S., Yoshimo, M., Sato, T. and Goshima, S. (2000) Effects of sex ratio on egg extrusion frequency and mating behavior of the spiny king crab Paralithodes brevipes (Decapoda: Lithodidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology 20, 479–482.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waddy, S.L. and Aiken, D.E. (2005) Impact of invalid biological assumptions and misapplication of maturity criteria on size at maturity estimates for American lobster. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 134, 1075–1090.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolff, M. and Soto, M. (1992) Population dynamics of Cancer polyodon in la Herradura Bay, northern Chile. Marine Ecology Progress Series 85, 69–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woll, A.K., van der Meeren, G.I. and Fossen, I. (2006) Spatial variation in abundance and catch composition of Cancer pagurus in Norwegian waters: biological reasoning and implications for assessment. ICES Journal of Marine Science 63, 421–433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar