FINALLY Underway!  Headed to Golden "Crabitat" (Habitat)
June 3, 2007

The rain has stopped and we were able to depart today at 1500.  The National Weather Service reported 9 to 11 foot seas earlier today, but the seas are forecasted to lay down to 2 to 3 feet this evening.  Unfortunately we have lost nearly 2 ½ days of critical mapping time and we have had to hone the mission plan down to the highest priority areas, which for the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is along the southern end of the Miami Terrace and Escarpment, off the coast of Miami, Florida.  The science team assembled today to refine the mission plan, which required consideration of many factors, such as critical mapping areas for golden crab habitat, estimated arrival time at the first mapping station, daylight needed for AUV launching and recovery, battery life of the AUV and necessary re-charge time, etc.  It should take us approximately 25 hours to steam to our first mapping station. 

We plan to use the ship’s multi-beam mapping system at this location.  Although the AUV has its own advantages, the ship’s mapping technology can operate more efficiently at a faster speed and in higher seas than the AUV.  The AUV will be used for the high priority area within this survey polygon, which is a known area of live bottom habitat and believed to support important federally managed fishery resources, including potentially exploitable resources such as golden crab (Chaceon fenneri). 

Dr. Elizabeth Wenner, Senior Marine Scientist at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and fellow shipmate has studied habitat utilization of golden crabs and on past missions.  Through various submersible dives in addition to trapping, Dr. Wenner found high densities of golden crabs along Lophelia mounds and rock ledges.  Although not much is know about the life history of golden crabs, especially spawning and nursery areas, she believes that they are generally slow growing and long-lived relative to other commercially valuable crabs, like the blue crab.  Golden crab size and barnacle growth supports this determination. 

Golden crabs range from New England to the Gulf of Mexico and they have been found in 205m water depth off dry Tortugas and in over 1000m off Bermuda!  Dr. Wenner notes that the population densities are not very high and they could be easily overfished.  The only known commercial fishery is off the east-central coast of Florida. “The numbers of golden crabs are just not sufficient to maintain a high pressure commercial fishery.”  She is supportive of the Council’s proactive approach to mapping golden crab habitat and managing this important fishery.

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Meet the Science Team and Crew