The Atlantic deep sea red crab (Chaceon quinquedens) is patchily distributed along the continental shelf edge and slope of the western Atlantic, primarily at depths of 400-1800 meters. Red crabs in the US waters outside the Gulf of Mexico are managed as a single stock located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic Bight to Gulf of Maine region, although red crabs in the Gulf of Maine are not considered in calculation of reference points, biomass estimates or other management analyses (NOAA 2009; NEFMC 2010).

The management unit specified in the Red Crab FMP includes red crab in U.S. waters of the Atlantic Ocean from 35˚ 15.3’ N. lat. (the latitude of Cape Hatteras Light, North Carolina) northward to the U.S./Canada border (NOAA 2009; NEFMC 2010).

Deep sea red crabs (Chaceon quinquedens) in the northwest Atlantic represent a data-poor stock because they inhabit deep water, are rarely caught in NMFS bottom trawl surveys, require targeted surveys to collect data on abundance, and little is known about their life history. Data from related species has been considered to make assumptions about the life history. Targeted surveys were conducted in 1974 (Wigley et al. 1975) and during 2003-2005 (Wahle et al. 2008). Two stock assessments have been completed for red crabs (Serchuk 1977; NEFSC 2006a, (NOAA 2009; NEFMC 2010).

Since implementation of the FMP in 2002, the biological and economic information about the red crab resource and fishery has been updated in the 2004 SAFE Report, through the 2006 Stock Assessment Workshop, and through the January 2009 DPSWG and Review Panel Report (NOAA 2009; NEFMC 2010).

This fishery was withdrawn by the Marine Stewardship Council system in September 2014. To learn more about this fishery click here (SCS 2012, 2013).