Comparative Analysis of the Morphometric and Reproductive Parameters of Snow Crab (Chionoecetes opilio) from the Kara and Barents Seas

Abstract—The article presents a comparative analysis of the size and reproductive parameters of snow crab from the Barents and Kara seas, estimated for 2005–2019. In the Kara Sea, females reach maturity when their carapace width (CW) is over 30 mm and the CW at 50% maturation is 38 mm. In the Barents Sea, female crabs reach functional maturity when their CW is over 35 mm, and the CW at 50% maturation is significantly higher than that in the Kara Sea, reaching 51 mm. The fecundity of individuals of the same size captured in the Kara Sea is slightly lower than the fecundity of individuals recorded in the Barents Sea. At the same time, the increase in the number of eggs with increasing CW is linear and statistically different in females from the Kara and Barents seas (ANCOVA, p = 0.0327): 27 000 and 22 000 eggs with an increase in CW by 10 mm, respectively. Compared to snow crabs from other geographical regions, the values of parameters of the studied snow crab individuals from the Kara Sea were close to those estimated for individuals from the eastern Arctic seas, the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Most of the parameters for the Barents Sea population were comparable with those of populations from the southern part of the native range (Sea of Japan and Northwest Atlantic). The differences in the morphological and reproductive parameters of crabs from the Barents and Kara seas should be taken into account in organizing their fishery and developing a strategy for rational exploitation of this species in the Kara Sea.