Evaluation and Comparison of Three Independent Methods for Estimating Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) Biomass in Southeast Alaska

This research was designed to ground-truth current stock assessment methods for red king crab in Southeast Alaska and promote collaborative research with the fishing industry.
Specifically, we compared three independent estimates of legal red king crab biomass using depletion, mark/recapture, and Catch-Survey Analysis methods. All field work for
the depletion and mark/recapture estimates was done on commercial fishing vessels. The Catch-Survey Analysis is the method currently used by ADFG and
combines fishery-independent survey data along with commercial catch data.
The current dataset includes effort (e.g., lat/lon, depth, date) and catch (# of legal crab caught) data from 8 areas in Southeast Alaska to estimate
legal red king crab biomass using a depletion estimator and to tag legal crab for the mark portion of a mark/recapture estimate These datasets were archived as part of the North Pacific Research Board legacy project recovery effort undertaken by Axiom Data Science and NPRB in 2025. The goal of the recovery effort was to assess the NPRB-funded data projects from 2002 to 2014 and archive final data packages that were ready for publication to increase long-term accessibility and discoverability. Data packages were archived as is given limited funding and resources.