Jonah Crab
Jonah Crab
Cancer borealis
Quick Facts
About the Species
Jonah crab are found in the waters of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean from Canada to Florida. There is limited information regarding Jonah crab life cycle and behavior because not many research studies have been conducted. Female crab are believed to move nearshore during the late spring and summer and then return offshore in the fall and winter.
Historically, Jonah crabs were harvested as an incidental catch in the American lobster trap fishery. In recent years, landings increased significantly due to a decrease in Southern New England lobsters and an increase in price of other crab species. This lead to action by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to implement the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Jonah crab. To complement the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Jonah Crab and in compliance with the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act, NOAA Fisheries approved the federal measures for the Fishery Management Plan for Jonah crab.
Currently, there is no stock assessment or established biological reference points for the stock, and as such, we do not know whether Jonah crabs are overfished or whether overfishing is occurring.
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia | Phylum | Arthropoda | Class | Malacostraca | Order | Decapoda | Family | Cancridae | Genus | Cancer | Species | borealis |
|---|
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Commercial Fishing Regulations
Federal regulations for Jonah crab were implemented on December 12, 2019. These regulations include requiring a permit to possess and or land Jonah crab, a minimum size restriction, prohibition of possession of egg-bearing Jonah crab, and reporting requirements. The minimum size is 4.75 inches carapace width, as measured by a straight line across the widest part of the shell. For a more detailed descriptions, please refer to 50 CFR 697.2. Vessels may not retain crabs smaller than this width. There is no possession limit for trap permit holders. Non-trap permit holders may retain up to 1,000 Jonah crabs, provided crabs do not exceed 50 percent of catch, by weight. Traps may only be set to target Jonah crabs in areas where the vessel is already qualified to fish for lobsters. Any traps set to target Jonah crabs must comply with all lobster trap size, escape vents, and gear tagging and marking requirements. Each trap set to target Jonah crabs is counted towards the vessel permit’s lobster trap limit. Jonah crabs may only be sold to federally permitted dealers with a Jonah crab endorsement. The regulations are summarized in the table below.
*While federal regulations do not prohibit harvesting claws, some state regulations may prohibit such activity or specify the amount of claws that may be taken. Please check with the appropriate state marine fisheries management agency for additional information on Jonah crab claw regulations.
| Sector | Management Measure | Requirement |
| Commercial | Vessel permitting | Landing requires a federal lobster permit |
| Minimum size | 4.75-inch (12.065-cm) carapace width | |
| Broodstock protection | Prohibit retention of egg-bearing females | |
| Incidental limit | Up to 1,000 crabs per trip | |
| Incidental latch definition | Up to 50 percent of weight onboard |
Reporting A Commercial Catch
Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports (VTR)
Beginning April 1, 2024, owners/operators of vessels holding a federal bluefish permit must submit VTRs electronically. For more information about trip reporting, and to see a list of approved eVTR software applications, please visit the Greater Atlantic Region vessel trip reporting page.
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Requirements
Vessels with only a federal lobster permit and no other federal fishery permits are not required to have a VMS.
Dealer Reporting
All federal lobster dealers must provide weekly electronic trip level reports of lobster purchases.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System Requirements
The American lobster fishery does not have any IVR requirements. However, those vessels with a federal lobster permit and another federal fisheries permit that requires the IVR system must include the harvest of lobster and all other species to NOAA Fisheries.
Observer Requirements
A federal lobster vessel must take a federal fishery observer upon request by the federal government (50 CFR 697.12).
Commercial Gear Information
Lobster Trap Requirements by Area
| Lobster Management Area | Area 1 | Area 2 | Area 3 | Area 4 | Area 5 | Area 6 | OCC |
| Escape vent rectangular | 1- 15/16 x 5- ¾” | 2 x 5- ¾” | 2- 1/16 x 5- ¾” | 2 x 5- ¾” | 2 x 5- ¾” | 2 x 5- ¾” | 2 x 5- ¾” |
| Escape vent circular | 2- 7/16” | 2- 5/8” | 2- 11/16” | 2- 5/8” | 2- 5/8” | 2- 5/8” | 2- 5/8” |
Lobster Trap Gear Marking Areas
Federal lobster trap vessels must adhere to the gear marking requirements as set forth in §697.21 of the Federal lobster regulations for each gear marking area, as summarized below:
Buoy, Line Marking, and Deployment Requirements for Lobster Traps
- The deployment and gear configuration for American lobster, as defined by §697.21(b), establishes gear requirements for four geographic areas: (1) The Gulf of Maine, (2) Georges Bank, (3) Southern New England and (4) Mid-Atlantic gear areas (see Figure2).
- American lobster trap trawls consisting of three or fewer traps deployed in the four geographic areas identified in Figure 2 must be attached to and marked with a single buoy.
- Lobster trap trawls consisting of more than three traps must have a radar reflector and a single flag or pennant on the westernmost end (marking the half compass circle from magnetic south through west, to and including north), while the easternmost end (meaning the half compass circle from magnetic north through east, to and including south) of an American lobster trap trawl must be configured with a radar reflector only.
- Standard tetrahedral corner radar reflectors of at least 8 inches (20.32 cm) (both in height and width, and made from metal) must be employed.
- Furthermore, no American lobster trap trawl shall exceed 1.5 nautical miles (2.78 km) in length, as measured from radar reflector to radar reflector, except in Area 3 where the maximum length of a lobster trap trawl shall not exceed 1.75 nautical miles (3.24 km).
In addition to the gear configuration requirements mentioned here, permit holders should be aware that American lobster regulations have trap tag requirements for each trap.
Lobster Gear Marking Areas
| Lobster Trap Gear Making Area | N. Latitude | W. Longitude |
| Gulf of Maine | North of 42°20´ | seaward of a line drawn 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) from the baseline of the territorial sea |
| Georges Bank | South of 42°20´ | East of 70°00´ or the outer boundary of the territorial sea, whichever lies farther east |
| Mid-Atlantic | North of 36°33´ at a depth greater than 40 fathoms (73.15 m). | West of 71°30´ |
| Southern New England | N/A | West of 70°00´ W. Long, east of 71°30´ at a depth greater than 25 fathoms (45.72 m |
*See regulations §697.21 for further information on all points.
For a map of the lobster gear areas, please refer to the "Resources" tab.
Hauling Lobster Gear
It is prohibited to possess, deploy, fish with, haul, harvest lobster from, or have on board, trap gear issued to another vessel. Traps must be hauled at least once every 30 days. Wet storage of traps is not permitted. If traps are expected to be unattended for greater than 30 days, we may authorize a substitute vessel to haul ashore the lobster trap gear of a federally permitted lobster vessel that has broken down. Authorization will not be granted to fish a permitted vessel’s gear with another vessel.
Gear Restricted and Closed Areas
Any federal lobster permit holder with a trap designation on their permit, may not fish with traps in an area not designated on the permit. You may choose more than one designated area when applying or reapplying for a fishing permit.
Seasonal Closed Areas
| OCC | Area 4 | Area 5 | |
| Seasonal Closure | February 1 – March 31 | April 30 – May 31 | February 1 – March 31* |
| Grace Period* | None | 1 week gear replacement | 2 weeks gear removal, 1 week gear replacement |
| Federal Regulation | §697.7 (c)(1)(xxx)(A) | §697.7 (c)(1)(xxx)(B) | §697.7 (c)(1)(xxx)(C) |
*Grace periods allow permit holders extra time to remove gear at the beginning of a closure period or reset gear at the end of a closure period. No possession or harvest of lobster is allowed during these grace periods.
Gear Restricted Areas
The gear restricted areas were established with input from both mobile and trap gear lobster fishermen and are intended to avoid gear conflicts during certain times of the year. These areas restrict access to either trap or mobile gear on an alternating seasonal basis as described below:
Gear restricted areas
| Federal Regulations | Restricted Gear Area | Area Closed to Mobile Gear | Area Closed to Lobster Fixed Gear |
| §697.23(b) | I | 10/1-6/15 | 6/16-9/30 |
| §697.23(c) | II | 11/27-6/15 | 6/16-11/26 |
| §697.23(d) | III | 6/16-11/26 | 1/1-4/30 |
| §697.23(e) | IV | 6/16-9/30 | Not Applicable |
For a map of the Gear Restricted Areas, please refer to the maps under the "Resources" tab on the lobster species page.