Report to industry on 1976 Eastern Bering Sea King Crab Survey

The eastern Bering Sea king crab survey is conducted to provide technical information on the condition of the stocks needed by agencies which allocate the catch among fishing interests. This technical information is used to determine yearly changes in stock abundance and composition due to foreign and domestic fishing, and environmental changes. An additional use for the survey data is as an aid to fishermen and processors in determining productive areas and general availability of crabs from year to year. This report is directed toward this use and is intended to provide useful information on abundance and distribution of king crabs, as determined by the 1976 survey conducted in the eastern Bering Sea by the NOAA RV Oregon.