Wind Stress and Cycles in Dungeness Crab (Cancer magister) Catch off California, Oregon, and Washington

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Abstract
Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) catch records along the coasts of northern California, Oregon, and Washington covary in a cyclic pattern with a period of 9–10 yr. Both environmental forcing and density-dependent recruitment have been proposed as the mechanisms causing these cycles. Spring wind stress in a southward direction is correlated with crab catch along this coast at typical lags of 4 and 5 yr. This time lag corresponds to the time required for growth from the larval phase to the size caught in the fishery. Also, computed autocorrelations show that wind stress is itself cyclic. Since crab larvae appear to be transported offshore and northward during the early larval phase, the observed correlation may result from a dependence of subsequent successful settlement on wind-driven southward, onshore transport during the late larval phae in the spring. However, the exact mechanisms are not known. The computed correlations indicate that wind stress may contribute to the observed cycles.