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ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access originally published online on January 19, 2009
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 2009 66(3):455-461; doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsn222
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© 2009 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford Journals. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Mortality and blood loss by blue swimmer crabs (Portunus pelagicus) after simulated capture and discarding from gillnets

Sebastian S. Uhlmann1, Matt K. Broadhurst2, Brian D. Paterson3, David G. Mayer3, Paul Butcher2 and Craig P. Brand2

1 School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management, University of New England, National Marine Science Centre, PO Box J321, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales 2450, Australia
2 New South Wales (NSW) Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries Conservation Technology Unit, PO Box J321, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales 2450, Australia
3 Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Bribie Island Aquaculture Research Centre, PO Box 2066, Woorim, Queensland 4507, Australia

Correspondence to S. S. Uhlmann: tel: +61 2 6648 3915; fax: +61 2 6651 6580; e-mail: suhlmann{at}nmsc.edu.au.

Uhlmann, S. S., Broadhurst, M. K., Paterson, B. D., Mayer, D. G., Butcher, P., and Brand, C. P. 2009. Mortality and blood loss by blue swimmer crabs (Portunus pelagicus) after simulated capture and discarding from gillnets. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 455–461.

Two laboratory experiments were carried out to quantify the mortality and physiological responses of juvenile blue swimmer crabs (Portunus pelagicus) after simulated gillnet entanglement, air exposure, disentanglement, and discarding. In both experiments, all but control blue swimmer crabs were entangled in 1-m2 gillnet panels for 1 h, exposed to air for 2 min, subjected to various treatments of disentanglement ranging between the forceful removal of none, one, two, and four appendages, then "discarded" into individual experimental tanks and monitored for 10 d. In Experiment 1, mortalities were associated with the number of appendages removed and the occurrence of unsealed wounds. In Experiment 2, live blue swimmer crabs were sampled for blood at 2 min and 6, 24, and 72 h post-discarding to test for the effects of disentanglement and appendage removal on total haemocyte counts, clotting times, protein levels (by refractive index), and blood ion concentrations. Compared with blue swimmer crabs that had sealed or no wounds, those with unsealed wounds had lower total haemocyte counts, protein, and calcium concentrations and increased clotting times and magnesium and sodium levels. Induced autotomy, as opposed to the arbitrary, forceful removal of appendages has the potential to minimize the mortality and stress of discarded, juvenile blue swimmer crabs.

Keywords: appendage removal, discard mortality, gillnet fisheries, physiological stress, Portunus pelagicus

Received 23 June 2008; accepted 12 December 2008; advance access publication 19 January 2009.


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