Distribution of Bitter Crab Syndrome in Tanner crabs (Chionoecetes bairdi, C. opilio) from the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea

Abstract

During 1988 to 1991, sampling efforts were conducted to determine prevalences of Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS) in Tanner crabs from the Gulf of Alaska, the Benng Sea and the boundary area of the Chukchi Sea and Arctic Ocean Stained hemolymph smears i n d ~c a t e d that prevalences of BCS In Chionoecetes balrdi from the Gulf of Alaska were zero to 7 2",, in Pnnce William Sound, zero in Cook Inlet and reached 3 6 % in the coastal waters of Kodlak Island Fiom there, prevalences declined southwesterly to 1 3 % and zero along the Alaska Peninsula and the eastern Aleutian Islands In the Bering Sea, the trend consisted of fluctuating low prevalences of BCS that increased by northerly latitudes in C opllio reaching the highest levels of 14 6 to 29 1 % in Norton Sound and 13 3 to 15 5 % In the C h u k c h ~ Sea/Arctic Ocean boundary area The prevalences In C bard1 from the eastern/northeastern Benng Sea were between zero and 2 4 % Prevalences of BCS from Russian waters in the western Bering Sea ranged from 0 9 and 1 1 % in C b a i r d ~ and C opllio respectively Sample stations where equally large numbers of both Tanner crab species were examined suggested little difference in paras ~t e prevalences