AFSC/RACE/SAP/Pathobiology: 2015 Bitter crab disease prevalence in immature Chionoecetes spp. at 6 index sites in eastern Bering Sea

This dataset contains crab data from a field survey of Chionoecetes bairdi and C. opilio collected at six designated index sites in the Bering Sea during the 2015 NOAA/NMFS/AFSC/RACE crab-groundfish bottom trawl surveys of the eastern Bering Sea. Each of the six index sites were made up of approximately 10 survey stations and chosen based on historical incidences of the parasite Hematodinium sp., the causative agent of Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS). Blood samples were taken from collected crab using non-lethal methods and were preserved in 100% ethanol. Samples were tested in a laboratory with a DNA test to detect the presence of the parasite Hematodinium sp., the causative agent of Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS) to evaluate any changes in intensity of disease within the index sites that may provide information as to how the disease is moving or changing within EBS crab populations. The data includes sampling year, index site, species, crab morphometrics, Hematodinium sp. parasite presence/absence based on PCR assay results.