Development and Distribution of Dungeness Crab Larvae in Glacier Bay and Neighboring Straits in Southeastern Alaska: Implications for Larval Advection and Retention

Development and distribution of larval Dungeness crab, Cancer magister Dana, 1852 were investigated in southeastern Alaska from late May to mid-September in 2004. Larvae were collected during daylight hours at three inner and two outer Glacier Bay stations at the two different depths in the water column, above and below the thermocline. Larval density decreased dramatically for three larval stages, zoeae I(ZI), zoeae IV, and zoeae V(ZV), but relatively little for zoeae II and zoeae III. ZI predominated at all stations in late May and were collected until late July. Larval stages progressed seasonally from ZI to ZV and density decreased from ZI through ZV. The densities of each zoeal stage at the inner and outer bay stations and at the shallow and deep depths were similar. The density of each larval stage above(shallow) and below(deep) the thermocline and between inner and outer bay stations were not significantly different. The occurrence of larval Dungeness crab is dramatically later than in other parts of the species range, in that larvae appear in abundance beginning in late May. The pattern of spatial distribution of larval stages for the inland waters of Alaska was also markedly different than the patterns reported for Dungeness crab larvae from other parts of the species range, in that the early and intermediate stages occurred within inland waters; from British Columbia to California these larval stages increase in abundance with distance offshore.