ADFG Kin* Crab Biologist Guy Powell
Knows “Paralithodes Camtschatica’’
The young (29) fair-haired bi
ologist of the Alaska Department
of Fish and Game pictured here
is well known to most Kodiak res
idents as well as to the men of the
Kodiak King Crab industry. Hav
ing been in charge of king crab
biological research here since
early 1958, his many and varied
activities in connection with his
biological duties have brought him
into frequent contact with men of
the industry, both fishermen and
processors. He is known to most
other Kodiak residents for his in
terest and activities in various
community organizations and pro
jects.
Following is a short biograph
ical sketch of Guy Powell, who
probably knowws more about the
creature Paralithodes camtschat
ica (Tilesius)—“King Crab” to
you—than any other American.
Much, if not most, of the material
about the king crab presented in
this issue was either prepared by
him or from the data he has ac
cumulated during the past several
years.
Guy C. Powell was born in
Ridgewood, New Jersey, April 3,
1933. He entered Rutgers Univer
sity in 1951 and completed a four
year course obtaining a Bachelor
of Science degree in Wildlife con
servation in 1955. After serving
in the U.S. Army as a second
lieutenant, Mr. Powell entered
the Colorado State University
Game and Fish School and ob
tained his Masters degree in the
spring of 1958. His Master’s
thesis was on Fisheries Research
in Power Dams.
Guy Powell, in the course of
part-time summer work during
his college years, engaged in a lot
of Scuba diving activities which
have been a great help in his king
crab studies. His previous exper
ience had been with the New Jer
sey Fish and Game Department
at their fisheries laboratory at
Milltown, New Jersey and at the
New Jersey Oyster Research Lab
oratory in Port Noris, New Jersey.
In March 1958, Powell took over
the king crab research studies in
Kodiak.
Food Requirements
May Cause King
Crab Migrations
What do King Crabs eat? That’s
a question many times asked...
and one that even King Crab fish
ermen have pondered over in their
initial efforts to lure these crea
tures into their pots with baits.
The Annual Report for 1958 of
the Alaska Department of Fish
and Game provides considerabl
evidence for answering this ques
tion.
King Crabs seem to be bottom
scavengers utilizing many varied
forms of recently killed flesh.
The fact that crabs are readily
captured in pots baited with
everything from birds to seals in
dicates an attraction to all fresh
meat.
Considerable knowledge was
gained by feeding those crabs
held captive for growth studies.
Since food consumption is closely
related to growth, the captive
crabs had to be fed and with lit
tle added effort observations were
made on feeding.
Food items fed and eaten by
captive crabs include: sea ur
chins, starfish, clams of all types,
shrimp, smelt, rockfish (perch!
turbot, octopus, herring, sand fish,
halibut, blenny, black cod, and
sculpin. The first seven items
were seemingly preferred.
Good evidence that the diet of
crabs is influenced somewhat by
their physiological state was ob
tained when newly-molted soft
shell crabs seemed to seek out
sea urchins and starfish. Crabs
feeding on these items were able
to harden their soft shells much
faster than individuals without
this high calcium diet.
The migration following molt
ing and reproduction in large part
might be a result of food items
required and sought by the crabs.
During periods of poor fishing,
the crabs may be grazing (as sheep
do) upon the rocky areas abun
dant in starfish and sea urchins.
Since rocky areas are difficult to
fish and the crabs prefer baits
not used by fishermen, few crabs
are captured.
There was little evidence to
prove that the chela (pincer claws)
act as crushing devices in gather
ing food. Clams were not read
ily accepted unless broken prior
to feeding. All fish introduced to
the aquarium in a natural condi
tion were abandoned for those
fish that were slashed open with
a knife. Crabs were observed
having difficulty eating fish not
cut so that the underlying flesh
was exposed. The chela were
seen in use only as ripping and
tearing appendages and in con
veying food to the mouth.
None of the crabs had large
King Crab Has Long Been Favorite;
Nothing New on American Tables
The following detailed history
of the Alaska King Crab Industry
is taken from the Annual Report
for 1954 of the Alaska Department
of Fisheries, and with but few
minor changes, is verbatim.
Although few Americans are
aware of it, King Crab has long
been the chief source of the can
ned crab consumed in the United
States. Until very recently, al
most the entire canned King Crab
pack has been furnished by the
Japanese. The low price of the
generally excellent Japanese pro
duct had been an almost insur
voracious appetites. Often food
would remain in the aquarium
with small quantities eaten each
day. Fifty to eighty crabs were
constantly being observed in the
aquarium.
Now does that answer your
question?
mountable barrier to Amerioon
producers who have, until 1950,
concentrated almost entirely upon
the Dungeness crab.
While canned Dungeness crab
is an excellent product, it differs
markedly from the canned King
Crab in color, texture and flavor.
These differences have made It
difficult to sell large quantities
of canned Dungeness crab, for the
American consumers have become
accustomed to the appearance and
taste of the Japanese product.
And contrary to popular opin
ion, the presence of king crab in
commercial quantities in the wa
ters adjacent to Alaska had long
been known, but the threat of Jap
anese competition had been a pow
erful deferent to any large seale
American operation.
The first commercial king crab
operation in Alaska was inaugur
(Continued On Page 16)
--———————
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