Crab, Tanner (Kani) – U.S. and Canada

Tanner Crabs become sexually mature around six years of age and can produce hundreds of thousands of eggs.

The Tanner Crab fisheries, once classified as overfished, are in the process of rebuilding and effective management is in place.

Pots, which moderately impact the seafloor, are the only fishing equipment used to catch Tanner Crabs. Bycatch in the crab fishery is limited, and consists mostly of females and other male crabs that are under the legal size limit. Only male crabs over a certain size are kept.

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Fish Key:

Species has a combination of problems such as overfishing, high bycatch, and poor management.

Some problems exist with this species' status or catch methods, or information is insufficient for evaluating.

Species is relatively abundant, and fishing methods cause little damage to habitat and other wildlife.

A fishery targeting this species has been certified as sustainable and well managed to the Marine Stewardship Council's environmental standard. Learn more at http://www.msc.org.

These fish contain levels of mercury or PCBs that may pose a health risk to adults and children. Our source of information is http://seafood.edf.org/. We also recommend that you check local advisories.