Jonah Crabs are found at depths ranging from 1 to 800 m along
the Atlantic coast of North America. Population abundance,
growth rate, and time to sexual maturity are unknown, but males
grow larger than females and are more frequently found in deeper
water. Jonah Crabs are commercially harvested in the U.S. and
Canada in both American Lobster fisheries and directed Jonah
Crab fisheries. They are managed by individual states in the
U.S. and by the federal government in Canada. Management
measures include minimum size limits, sex restrictions (no
females may be taken), seasonal and area closures, and limits on
trap size, configuration, and numbers. Jonah Crabs are captured
using pots and traps that result in moderate damage to the
seafloor. Despite overall low levels of bycatch, entanglements
of critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales in the
lines that connect the traps or pots represents a serious threat
to the whales recovery.