Effect of an escape vent in accordion-shaped traps on the catch and size of Asian paddle crabs Charybdis japonica in an artificial reef area

Accordion-shaped traps are widely used in China to catch the Asian paddle crab C harybdis japonica but traps of conventional design often catch juvenile crabs. A new type of accordion-shaped trap with an escape vent(L×W=4.3 cm×3.0 cm) was designed and a comparative study between the newly designed and conventional traps was performed in the artifi cial reef area of Zhuwang, Laizhou Bay, China from June to August 2012. The mean catch per unit effort(CPUE) of undersized crabs was signifi cantly lower in the vented traps than in the conventional traps(paired t-test, n =30, P <0.001), while the CPUE of marketable crabs was signifi cantly higher in the vented traps(paired t-test, n =30, P <0.001). The mean size of crabs(carapace length) caught in the vented traps was signifi cantly larger than in conventional traps(paired t-test, n =29, P <0.001). The ratio of undersized crabs was 35.05%±2.57% in conventional traps and 12.53%±0.69% in vented traps(signifi cantly lower, paired t-test, n =29, P <0.001). Therefore, a 4.3 cm×3.0 cm escape vent was considered appropriate for C. japonica fi shing in the artifi cial reef area. This fi nding will assist the development of more sustainable and effi cient crab fi shing methods using accordion-shaped traps.

Magmatism and tectonic processes in Area A hydrothermal vent on the Southwest Indian Ridge

The hydrothermal vent in Area A （37.78°S, 49.65°E） is the first active hydrothermal vent discovered on the Southwest Indian Ridge （SWlR）. Heat source and adequate bulk permeability are two necessary factors for the formation of a hydrothermal vent. Along the SWIR 49.3°E to 51.2°E, the gravity-derived crustal thickness is up to 9.0 km, much thicker than the average thick- ness of the global oceanic crust. This characteristic indicates that the magma supply in this area is robust, which is possibly af- fected by a hotspot. The large-scale residual mantle Bouguer anomalies （RMBA） reveal prominent negative-gravity anomalies between the first-order ridge segment （from Indomed to Gallieni, 46.0°E to 52.0°E） and the Marion-Del Cano-Crozet region. These anomalies indicate the channel of the hotspot-ridge interaction. The tomography data corrected with theoretical thermal model indicate that the low-velocity anomalies corresponding to this channel can reach the base of the lithosphere. Near the hydrothermal vent area, the topography and crustal thickness at the off-axis area are extremely asymmetrical. South of the SWIR, the high topography corresponds to the thinning crustal thickness. The residual isostatic topography anomalies indicate that Area A is a deviation from the local isostatic equilibrium, similar to the characteristics of the transform fault inside corner. The forward profiles of the magnetic data indicate that the thinning magnetic layer at the south side of Area A corresponds to the shallow, high-velocity area revealed by the OBS, which is the result of tectonic extension of a detachment fault. The active tectonic processes in Area A can provide sufficient crustal permeability to the hydrothermal circulation and may form massive sulfide deposits.