Escape Hatch Could Spare Undersized Arctic Snow Crabs

Researchers working in Norway’s Barents Sea say a simple modification to snow crab pots could sharply reduce the number of undersized animals accidentally caught in the Arctic fishery.

Research by Heriot-Watt University and UiT The Arctic University of Norway found that adding circular escape gaps to traditional crab pots allowed smaller crabs to escape before the gear was retrieved—without affecting the number of legally sized, commercially valuable crabs brought onboard.

Snow crab is harvested across the northern hemisphere, including in Canada, Greenland, the United States, Russia and, since 2012, in northern Norway.

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