FEEDING AND GROWTH OF THE RED KING CRAB PARALITHODES CAMTSCHATICUS UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS

Feeding and growth in wet weight of the red king crab Paralithodes cam tschaticus were studied under laboratory conditions for 4 months from September 1993 to January 1994. Crabs were divided into 3 groups: ovig erous females, juvenile females, and mature males. Food consumption (g .d(-1)) significantly increased with crab wet weight (W), while feedin g rate (FR, g.kg(-1).d(-1)), weight-standardized food consumption, dec reased significantly with crab weight. The relationship of FR similar to W significantly differed between ovigerous females and juvenile fem ales and males, but not between juvenile females and males, and can be expressed as FR = 70.9 - 0.017 W (P < 0.001) for oviger ous females, FR = 64.1 - 0.017 W (P < 0.001) for juvenile females and males. Crabs ceased feeding during molting, and feeding rates were significantly lo wer between 12 days before and 8 days after ecdysis than during the no nmolting period. Molted male crabs rapidly increased weight after molt . Their growth rate averaged 412.3 g.kg(-1) +/- 89.6 SD (wet weight) a nd decreased with crab weight. Among unmolted crabs, growth rates sign ificantly differed between ovigerous females (66.6 g.kg(-1) +/- 19.4 S D), juvenile females (50.4 g.kg(-1) +/- 14.5 SD), and males (5.2 g.kg( -1) +/- 4.0 SD).