Study Area

Our study included two important geographic areas, one in Marmot Bay and one in Chiniak Bay within the Northeast Section of the Kodiak Management Area. These areas were chosen because they are i) known to be important areas for subsistence and commercial Tanner crab fisheries, contributing 16 - 31% to the total population estimate for the Northeast Section in the last 5 years, ii) sampled annually by the ADF&G trawl survey, iii) representative of the area surveyed for Tanner crabs in the Kodiak Area (broad range of depths and habitat types), and iv) accessible for research from the Port of Kodiak. The Chiniak Bay study area is also considered a traditional area for Tanner crab mating and larval release (Stevens, 2003)¹ adding to the biological importance of this area. Results from this work will likely improve population estimates in these areas and can be used to evaluate the accuracy of Tanner crab abundance estimates calculated from ADF&G trawl surveys which cover the western GOA from Kodiak Island to the eastern Aleutians.
1 Stevens, B. G. 2003. Timing of aggregation and larval release by Tanner crabs, Chionoecetes bairdi, in relation to tidal current patterns. Fisheries Research 65: 201:217.