The US Atlantic deepsea red crab quota has been set at 2,000 tonnes for the 2022 fishing year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has confirmed. This is the same quota that was approved for both the 2020 and 2021 fishing years.
NOAA advises that the fishery operates along the edge of the continental shelf off southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic Bight.
Deepsea red crab inhabit mud, sand, and hard bottom at depths from 200 to 1,800-plus metres, at water temperatures between 5-8°C, while the small, directed red crab fishery uses traps and targets male red crabs at a depth of approximately 400-600 metres.
They are caught for human consumption and are sold either as fresh picked meat or as frozen legs.
The red crab fishery was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as sustainable in 2009.
