Snow crab

Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) is a cold-water marine crab found across the North Pacific and North Atlantic. Its long, slender legs and commercially valuable meat distinguish it among harvested crabs.

Chionoecetes opilio: The scientific name for snow crab, a commercially harvested cold-water crab species. This is the species identified by the common name snow crab.
Snow crab life cycle: The developmental sequence from snow crab eggs through planktonic larvae to bottom-dwelling juveniles and adults. Its stages explain how young crabs disperse before settling on the seafloor.
Snow crab fishery: Commercial fisheries that harvest snow crab in the North Pacific, North Atlantic, and adjacent seas. This fishery turns snow crab populations into a major seafood resource.
Bering Sea snow crab collapse: The sharp decline in estimated snow crab abundance in the eastern Bering Sea during the early 2020s. This collapse disrupted a major fishery and raised questions about warming and mortality.
Brachyura: A large group of crustaceans comprising true crabs, with short tails tucked beneath their bodies. Snow crab belongs to this broader group of true crabs.
Snow crab mating: Reproduction in snow crabs, in which males mate with females after their terminal molt. Mating depends on female molt timing and male access to newly molted females.
Snow crab pot: A baited trap used to catch snow crabs on the seafloor. Pot gear is the standard method for harvesting snow crab commercially.
Marine heatwave: A prolonged period when ocean temperatures are exceptionally warm relative to the local climate. Warm Bering Sea conditions coincided with severe losses in snow crab abundance.
Molting: The process by which an animal sheds its exoskeleton and forms a larger one. Snow crabs grow by molting, leaving them temporarily soft-shelled.
Snow crab migration: Seasonal and life-stage movements of snow crabs between habitats and depths. Movement across the seafloor affects distribution and exposure to fishing.

Linked from 5 pages