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Alki Beach.JPG

OUR RESEARCH

The Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group formed in response to pressing research needs for the Dungeness crab fishery in Washington state and the greater Pacific Northwest region. Broadly the group's goals are to pursue collaborative research to:

Monitor crab populations and develop tools to forecast crab abundance;

Better understand and sustain the ecological role of crab;

Produce information addressing multiple critical data gaps for Dungeness crab.

In order to recognize these goals, the group determined specific priority research questions to guide research planning and efforts.

RESEARCH THEMES

POPULATION STATUS, STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS

LAND USE AND CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS

ECOLOGY AND FOOD WEB DYNAMICS

FISHERY AND INDUSTRY IMPACTS

4 Dungeness Crab megalopae on our favorite research tool, a white plastic spoon!
Fisherman retrieving crab trap, using a winch to haul it up.

APPLICATION TO MANAGEMENT

The Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group's seeks to tailor its research to best inform fisheries managers in the promotion of Dungeness crab sustainability. The group determined management themes to guide the application of potential research projects taken on by the PCRG in the future.

POPULATION ASSESSMENT

SPATIAL & TEMPORAL MANAGEMENT

ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT

FISHERIES-RELATED MORTALITY

HABITAT CONSERVATION & MITIGATION

DISEASES, PESTS & POLLUTION

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