South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

Crab, Golden

Crab, Golden

Chaceon fenneri
Recreational
All areas are closed for recreational fishing.
Commercial
All areas are open for commercial fishing.

The golden crab is a large gold or buff colored species whose diagnostic characters include a hexagonal carapace; five anterolateral teeth on each side of carapace; well-developed, large frontal teeth; shallow, rounded orbits; chelipeds unequal; and the dactyli of the walking legs laterally compressed.

Golden crab inhabit the continental slope of Bermuda and the southeastern United States from off Chesapeake Bay south through the Straits of Florida and into the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Reported depth distributions of golden crab range from 205 m off the Dry Tortugas to 1007 m off Bermuda. Size of males examined range from 34 to 139 mm carapace length (CL) and females range from 39 to 118 mm CL. Ovigerous females have been reported during September, October and November, and range in size from 91 to 118 mm CL.

Regulations

Golden crab walking over sand in the deep sea.

NC, SC, GA, FL

  • Season is currently closed.
  • Notes:

    Recreational harvest of Golden Crab is prohibited in South Atlantic Federal Waters.

    For more information on management of South Atlantic federal fisheries, please visit SAFMC or NOAA Fisheries.

Amendments in progress

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