A Spatially Explicit, Multi-Species Assessment of Bering Sea Walleye Pollock

James Murphy, NMFS/Sea Grant Graduate Fellowship in Population Dynamics, and Timothy Essington, School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, University of Washington

E/I-8

The snow crab population in the Bering Sea has declined.  In the southern extent of the crab’s range, recolonization by newly settled snow crab may be hampered by high rates of cod predation. This project will produce estimates of snow crab demographics and predation pressure, using data from NMFS and Alaska Department of Fish and Game. It will examine size ranges of snow crab consumed by various size classes of predators and develop estimates of local spatial and temporal variation in predator intensity.  This information may help resource managers’ efforts to reestablish snow crab populations throughout the Bering Sea.