University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Master's Theses 2018 Fishery and Biological Characteristics of Jonah Crab (Cancer borealis) in Rhode Island Sound Corinne L. Truesdale University of Rhode Island,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses Recommended Citation Truesdale, Corinne L., "Fishery and Biological Characteristics of Jonah Crab (Cancer borealis) in Rhode Island Sound" (2018). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 1206. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/1206 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. FISHERY AND BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF JONAH CRAB (CANCER BOREALIS) IN RHODE ISLAND SOUND BY CORINNE L. TRUESDALE A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN OCEANOGRAPHY UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2018 MASTER OF SCIENCE THESIS OF CORINNE L. TRUESDALE APPROVED: Thesis Committee: Major Professor Jeremy S. Collie Candace A. Oviatt Gavino Puggioni Nasser H. Zawia DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2018 ABSTRACT Jonah crab (Cancer borealis) is a demersal crustacean distributed throughout continental shelf waters from Newfoundland to Florida. The species supports a rapidly growing commercial fishery in southern New England, where landings of Jonah crab have increased more than six-fold since the early 1990s. However, management of the fishery has lagged its expansion; the first Fishery Management Plan for the species was published in 2015 and a stock assessment has not yet been created due to a lack of available data concerning the species’ life history and fishery.