The Feasibility of a Claw-Only Fishery for the Red Rock Crab, Cancer productus

The red rock crab, Cancer productus, is primarily harvested by a recreational fishery, with a small commercial harvest in California. Although relatively large, meat yields are low because the legs are small, and meat is largely confined to the claws. We investigated the potential for a claw-only harvest for this species. Although hand removal is used in the stone crab fishery, it caused > 90% post-harvest mortality in red rock crabs. Inducing autotomy by inserting a spike into the arthrodial membranes or by cutting into the autotomy plane resulted in a high post-harvest survival. We recommend a minimum harvest size of 35 mm claw height to produce a claw size similar to medium-sized stone crabs and standard-sized brown and Jonah crabs and to ensure that severed claws are unlikely to have come from female crabs, which is important for regions that mandate a male-only harvest.