Jonah Crab

Sweet. Succulent. Briny.

Atlantic Rock Crab. The “Atlantic Dungeness”

Known for its robust and rugged appearance, the Jonah crab is slowly making its way into the Maine seafood spotlight.  

The Jonah crab has become increasingly valuable as a commercial species, particularly as a less expensive alternative to the more renowned Dungeness and stone crabs. Their meat is considered sweet, flaky, and affordable, making them a popular choice.

Overall, the Jonah crab's combination of resilience, utility, and increasing economic importance make it a unique species among North Atlantic marine life.

A brief history

“Lobstermen would pull them up and in most cases have no idea what to do with the things, so they’d usually just throw them back."

Prior to the 1990s, the Jonah Crab was considered the low-value nuisance bycatch for Northeast lobster fishermen. Jonah crabs are attracted to the same bait as lobsters, and are equally as flummoxed by lobster traps, so for decades, they were simply a bycatch. Although similar in size, appearance, and flavor to Florida's famed stone crab (which sells for about $30/lb), the Jonah Crab typically would only cost around $0.50/lb. Jonahs were, at best, sold to small-scale fish shacks, but usually thrown overboard.

With a decline in lobster landings in Southern New England and an increase in price of Dungeness and stone crab, fishermen in that area have focused on Jonah crab harvesting. Landings have increased significantly over the past fifteen years in the Northeast as crabs move northward in response to climate change. An increase of 650% in the catch occurred from 2003 to 2018. In the past twenty years, particularly in New England, landings have increased due to increased fishing pressure and market demand. Landings of Cancer borealis in the United States rose from 2–3 million pounds annually in the 1990s to more than 17 million pounds in 2014.

Jonah crab is, even by trash fish standards, poorly understood. We don’t know where it travels during the year, we don’t know what it eats, how quickly it spawns, how long it lives, how many there are, or, especially, how many we’re catching. In fact, the species was thought of so poorly for so long that fishermen didn't declare their catch

body

Jonah Crabs have an oval-shaped, rough-edged carapace, and two large claws. On average, Jonah crabs weigh 1 lb. 

Size

Jonah crab have large, strong claws that are used for both defense and feeding. Their shells are tough and dark with light speckles, and they have a somewhat pie-shaped carapace which distinguishes them from other crabs.

Jonah crab feed on blue mussels, arthropods, and snails in addition to the finfish used as lobster bait.

Diet

Habitat

They prefer water temperatures ranging between 8-12°C (46-54°F). They dwell in rocky areas closer to the coastline and on silt to clay bottoms further offshore. It is widely accepted that this species moves offshore in the fall and winter, and females have been documented moving inshore in late spring and summer.

Mating occurs after female molting, and sperm can be stored indefinitely. Spawning generally takes place inshore. Spawning season occurs later in the year for populations at higher latitudes, occurring in the early spring in the Mid-Atlantic Bight and in the fall in Maine.

Spawn

C. Borealis.

Family

Delicate, succulent, and sweet, the meat of the Jonah Crab has been compared to that of the West Coast Dungeness crab, the Florida stone crab, and the brown crab of Europe's North Sea. However, as the Jonah Crab has not been marketed to the extent of these other species, it is one of the most affordable crabs on the market.

The Jonah Crab has versatility of application, but its focused products are its claws and its picked meat (whereas the Dungeness Crab has been marketed for its whole body).

In the Kitchen

Jonah crab is high in protein and has many key nutrients including zinc and omega-3 fatty acids.

Seasonality: January to March

Nutritional Value: https://seafoodbuyersguide.foodexport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/20-FENE-2583_JonahCrab_Interactive-PDF_English_OUT.pdf.

Processing

Crab

  • Cooked whole crab and claws are flash frozen using liquid nitrogen. After freezing, claws are glazed with potable water to protect meat and allow crab to thaw quickly and evenly. In addition to whole claws, there are three easyto-serve claw options.

  • The claw and arm are cut with a band saw to make meat extraction easy

  • The base of claw is removed to expose meat

  • All claw meat is exposed

  • Crabmeat is picked from legs and bodies and is frozen in small containers

Crab meat, like all fresh seafood, has a relatively short shelf life and should be consumed within days after purchase. On average, cooked crab meat can last approximately three to five days in the fridge, or frozen for up to six months. Uncooked crab will last only two days. If you purchase uncooked crab, it’s a good idea to prepare it that day. Uncooked crab can be steamed, baked, or boiled. However, it, too, can be frozen for up to six months. For freezing, wrap the crab meat in a paper towel, then foil, to prevent it from drying out or risk freezer burn. When ready to eat, let thaw in the fridge overnight before consuming.

The Whole Fish

Crab “Fat”

Deliciously meaty and sweet, Jonah crabs—like their counterparts in other states—are perfect for whole crab boils. Simply boil them in a bath of seawater, or a spicy blend of old bay and vegetables, and you’ll have a deliciously steamed crab in under 15 minutes. 

The Whole Crab

After picking a crab following a boil, the shells can be reserved and used as the base for a shellfish stock or broth.

Shells

Crab claws and be steamed and served chilled over ice for a delicious raw bar preparation. 

Claws

Deliciously sweet and a little bit briny, Jonah crab meat can be used in endless preparations—from chilled and atop a salad or in a sandwich, to combined with eggs and breadcrumbs to form savory crab cakes. 

Meat

This is actually the crab's hepatopancreas, an organ that functions much like the liver. It ha a creamy texture that is yellowish-green in color with a strong, distinctive flavor. Mustard is sometimes used to enhance sauces or dressings, adding a burst of rich, seafood flavor.

Mustard

Located primarily in the body cavity of the crab. It has a creamy, rich texture with a deep, concentrated crab flavor. In some culinary traditions, crab fat is mixed with rice or noodles to imbue them with luxurious seafood flavor.

Jonah crab are found in the waters of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean from Canada to Florida. Jonah crab are now landed year-round both inshore and offshore. As with the lobster fishery, there is a molting time for the crab, thought to be during the spring and fall months when crabs shed their shells and grow new shells. In the summer and early fall, the crabs move offshore. Optimum catch season is typically from December-April.

In New England, there are four notable Jonah crab stock areas—inshore Gulf of Maine (IGOM), offshore Gulf of Maine (OSNE), inshore Southern New England (ISNE), and offshore Southern New England (OSNE). The vast majority of coastwide landings have come from the offshore Gulf of Maine, accounting for 70-85% of annual coastwide landings from 2010-2021.

Fishing & Sustainability

Harvest Methods

crab or lobster pot. dragging.

Jonah crabs are harvested in baited traps as a bycatch to the lobster fishery or in traps specifically designed for crabs (primarily in the offshore fishery). Fishermen catching Jonah crab must hold a lobster license.

Jonah crab is managed under the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Jonah Crab (2015) and its two addenda. The FMP’s goal is to promote conservation, reduce the possibility of recruitment failure, and allow full utilization of the resource by the industry. The plan lays out specific management measures in the commercial fishery. New England Fishery Management Council regulates the deep-sea red crab fishery.

Since 2015, under the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Jonah crab, biological data is still being collected and the plan is amended, as needed. Jonah crab data parameters include carapace width, sex, female egg bearing and shell hardness. Bottom temperature is also monitored in order to further habitat analysis and migratory movement.

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. Fishermen must report every single Jonah crab they catch, to help the scientists get a better view of the stocks, and research is ongoing to figure out the precise way the crab fits into the Atlantic ecosystem

Environmental Impact & Efforts

    • Bycatch limit of 1,000 crabs per trip for non-trap gear (eg. Otter trawls, gillnets) and non-lobster trap gera (e.g. fish, crab, whelk pots).

    • Create a coastwide standard for claw harvest to respond to concerns re: the equity of claw provision established in the Interstate Fishery Management Plan. Specifically, the Addendum allows Jonah crab fishermen to detach and harvest claws at sea, with a required minimum claw length of 2.75” if the volume of claws landed is greater than five gallons. Claw landings less than five gallons do not have to meet the minimum claw length standard.

    • Fishermen may also harvest whole crabs which meet the 4.75” minimum carapace width.

    • Egg-bearing females are protected. This measure is critical for ensuring the reproduction and sustainability of the crab population.

    • 2018 Addendum: Established mandatory harvester reporting data elements

    • Established electronic tracking requirements for federally-permitted vessels in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries. Specifically, electronic tracking devices will be required for vessels with commercial trap gear area permits for Lobster Conservation Management Areas (LCMAs) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and Outer Cape Cod to collect high resolution spatial and temporal effort data

  • Evidence of declining catch per unit effort (CPUE) in the fishery presents substantial concern and uncertainty for the status of the stock.

    According to the Peer Review Panel, “Despite the limited availability of current data, there is considerable urgency for the assessment due to a very steep, three-year, decline in landings. Commercial landings have declined 51% in three years, after an unprecedented 30-fold rise in landings. Although the recent decline is not well-detected in fishery-independent stock indicators, there is some evidence of declining CPUE in the fishery, creating substantial concern and uncertainty for the status of the stock. Given the mixed signals, the status of the Jonah crab stock is highly uncertain.

    Given the high level of uncertainty in the status of the Jonah crab stock, the Panel strongly recommends close monitoring of annual stock indicators in the next few years. Annual indicators can determine whether sharply declining recent landings are signaling the start of a ‘bust’ phase of a boom-and-bust arc, or are due to fishery and market-related factors uncoupled with Jonah crab abundance.”

  • Governed by DMR Regulation 25.45, which requires:

    • A Maine lobster and crab license is required to harvest commercially.

    • For individuals taking dragged crabs as bycatch, it is unlawful to take, possess, or land more than 200 pounds of crab per day, not to exceed 500 pounds per trip.

    • For recreational crabbing, there is a limit of 50 Jonah Crabs per person per day.

    • Jonah crabs must be larger than 4.75 inches across the shell.

    • It is illegal to possess egg-bearing female Jonah crabs.

    • While on board a vessel, it is unlawful to take or possess any Jonah crab, or part thereof, which is mutilated in a manner which makes accurate measurement impossible.

    • A lobster and crab fishing license holder may take and possess a volume of crab claws detached at sea not to exceed five gallons

    • Parts of the Sheepscot, Damariscotta, and Medomak rivers have seasonal closures in the winter (December through April)

According to NOAA, the U.S. wild-caught sea scallops are a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.