This fall marked a new and exciting chapter for the Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group as the group became a program coordinated by Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF) -- a non-profit organization that works collaboratively to restore marine habitat, water quality, and native species in Puget Sound through in-the-water projects. This transition, which was facilitated by the PCRG Coordinating Committee, means that the PCRG Program Coordinator (Emily Buckner) is now a PSRF staff member, funding for PCRG projects and programs will be administered by PSRF, and PSRF leadership will assist in strategic planning and program development. We are thrilled to join PSRF and look forward to growing our collaborative research efforts, both within Puget Sound, and beyond!
Other Happenings
After sampling for 138 days straight (we have the barnacles to prove it), light traps were pulled from the water in September to finish the 2021 monitoring season. We look forward to sharing larval crab observations from all stations at the Winter PCRG meeting! In the meantime, you can check out the observations from the 2020 season that were included in the Puget Sound Partnership’s Marine Waters Work Group annual report.
(a season's worth of barnacles on a temperature logger deployed with a light trap)
The Fishery Independent Survey (i.e. ‘Ventless Trap’) Working Group met at the end of August and identified the need to develop a standardized population survey for Dungeness crab in Washington waters. The group will begin assessing a pilot study design in the coming months.
The PCRG hosted a Dungeness crab research session at the 2021 Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association Conference in September. Katie Bland (UW), Linus Stoltz (OSU), and Dr. Brett Dumbauld (USDA) presented on topics ranging from commercial crabber behavior in response to climate shocks, hypoxia monitoring, and preferred juvenile crab nearshore habitat.
Looking Ahead
Save the Date for the Winter PCRG Meeting: January 26- 27th, 2022