Movement and habitat utilization by golden king crab Lithodes aequispinus benedict 1895 in southeastern Alaska

Abstract

Movements and habitat use of golden king crabs (GKC), Lithodes aequispinus, were investigated with a manned submersible and ultrasonic telemetry in Frederick Sound, Alaska. Crabs were collected with commercial crab pots and ultrasonic transmitters were attached to the carapaces of 26 crabs; movements and depth distribution of male and female crabs were monitored bi- monthly from May 11, 2000 to April 12, 2001. Crabs preferred steep, complex habitat with hard substrate; few were on flat, soft substrate. Male and female GKC were not segregated by depth in mid-May. Seventeen pairs of courting crabs were observed during dives; 14 of these pairs were associated with either intermittent or continuous boulder fields and 3 with wall substrates. Crabs did not have seasonal site fidelity. Crabs had seasonal changes in depth distribution, moving to deeper water during late fall and winter and returning to shallower depths during spring. Crabs moved as far as 39 km over one year. No evidence of spatial fidelity was observed; golden king crabs may be moving greater distances or site fidelity maybe on a longer temporal scale than our study, or golden king crabs may be nomadic in nature.