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Population Structure of Adult Blue Crabs, Callinectes sapidus, in Relation to Physical Characteristics in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey

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Abstract

Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are an important species in coastal or lagoonal estuaries where adult population characteristics may differ as compared to drowned-river estuaries. Barnegat Bay, in southern New Jersey, is composed of two large embayments: one without and one with a salinity gradient. We tested the influence of physical characteristics on the abundance, sex ratio, and size of adult blue crabs and examined variation in measures of reproductive potential (e.g., sperm stores) in both sexes in Barnegat Bay from June to September, 2008–2009. Population structure was distinct between the embayments due to sex-specific responses to salinity: male abundance was negatively correlated with salinity whereas adult females were more abundant in high salinity because of proximity to Barnegat Inlet. This produced high sex ratios in low salinity areas and low sex ratios in high salinity areas. Summer was a growing season for adult males while in late summer-early fall, juvenile males recruited to the adult size class. The spawning season lasted from May to August and ovigerous females were concentrated near the inlets. Information on female sperm stores and ovarian development identified two cohorts of adult females: females that will spawn in the current summer and females that will not spawn until the following summer. Thus, not all adult females near the spawning grounds were members of the current spawning stock. This suggests that annual estimates of spawning stock size which overlook the proximity of females to spawning are overestimating the current spawning stock in Barnegat Bay and other estuaries.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Rutgers University Marine Field Station for providing a considerable amount of logistical support as well as student housing, lab space, and boat access. This work was funded by the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program, now known as the Barnegat Bay Partnership.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Rider University, 2083 Lawrenceville Rd, Lawrenceville, NJ, 08648, USA

    Paul R. Jivoff & Jennifer M. Smith

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University, College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA

    Valerie L. Sodi

  3. Rutgers University Marine Field Station, 800 c/o 132 Great Bay Blvd, Tuckerton, NJ, 08087, USA

    Stacy M. VanMorter & Margaret J. Shaw

  4. Greenwich Physical Therapy Center, 1171 East Putnam Ave, Riverside, CT, 06878, USA

    Kathryn M. Faugno

  5. 943 Nassau St, North Brunswick, NJ, 08902, USA

    Amy L. Werda

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  1. Paul R. Jivoff
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Correspondence to Paul R. Jivoff.

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Jivoff, P.R., Smith, J.M., Sodi, V.L. et al. Population Structure of Adult Blue Crabs, Callinectes sapidus, in Relation to Physical Characteristics in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. Estuaries and Coasts 40, 235–250 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-016-0127-8

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