RELATIVE GROWTH OF CHELA AND SIZE AT MATURITY IN TANNER CRABS, CHIONOECETES OPILIO AND C. BAIRDI

Abstract

The relative growth of chela was examined to estimate the size at maturity for male tanner crabs, Chionoecetes opilio and C. bairdi collected from the Bering Sea, the Okhotsk Sea and the Japan Sea. The size (carapace width) at maturity of male tanner crab varied among different waters for each species, being largest in the Japan Sea and smallest in the northeastern Bering Sea. Similar variations were found in the maximum size of crabs collected. The size at maturity and the maximum size of crabs are possibly related to their environmental temperature.