Snow Crab

Snow Crab

Snow crab live in the North Atlantic as far north as west Greenland. In Labrador, Snow crab are at their northern range in Nunatsiavut waters. Snow crab supports an important commercial fishery where only the males are harvested. Crabs must be sufficiently past the softshell stage after molting to be valuable in the fishery. After harvesting in traps, Snow crab are kept alive until processed. Snow crab is preyed upon by a multitude of species, including groundfish, which is currently increasing in abundance. In northern Labrador, Snow crab is managed using annual DFO multispecies trawl data and results from TJFB Post-season Trap Survey.