Atlantic rock crab are present throughout the Northwest Atlantic from eastern Florida, United States to northern Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The rock crab is a benthic species, meaning they live on the ocean floor. They occupy a wide range of depths from above the low tide line, down to depths of up to 750 m.

Cancer irroratus (common name the Atlantic rock crab or peekytoe crab) is a crab in the genus Cancer. It is found from Iceland to South Carolina at depths up to 2,600 ft (790 m), and reaches 133 mm (5.2 in) across the carapace.

Rock crabs are op­por­tunis­tic feed­ers. Since they in­habit the ben­thic zone of the ocean from shal­low wa­ters to depths ex­tend­ing to 2,600 ft., their food source is lim­ited to species that can sur­vive in this zone as well.

This report provides analysis and recommendations for Jonah crab (Cancer borealis) and Atlantic rock crab (Cancer irroratus) in the Canadian Northwest Atlantic Maritime Provinces and in the Scotia-Fundy, Gulf, and Quebec regions.

Rock crab. Cancer irroratus. These crabs are currently considered a bycatch species of the Atlantic Canadian lobster industry, although the possibility of establishing a concerted rock crab harvest is being explored. Rock crabs are yellow-brown and sport purple spots, but turn bright red when cooked. Distribution of Rock crab in Canada

Rock crab is one of the more prevalent species inhabiting near shore regions of Atlantic Canada. C. irroratus has a broad, oval, carapace with nine shallow, smooth-edge teeth along each side of the front region of the carapace. Its eyes are round and located on thick short stalks.

Found on most types of seabed. Smaller crabs under 50 millimetres are usually found on rock, whereas larger ones tend to live on sand or mud seabeds. Found on Atlantic coasts from Newfoundland to South Carolina, down to over 700 metres. In Canada, it is most common in depths of 5 to 20 metres.

Rock crabs are estimated to live up to 8 years (Reilly and Saila 1978). A fishery of this edible species dates back to around 1900 in Massachusetts (Haefner et al. 1973, Wilder 1966) that gradually spread throughout New England and into Canada.

Atlantic rock crab is a Smarter seafood-listed species. BENEFITS: Rich in protein, zinc, copper and vitamin B12, which all enhance red blood cell production. LET’S COOK: Its meat is refined and slightly sweet, somewhere between the taste of snow crab and lobster.

Rock crab (Cancer irroratus) is distributed along the Atlantic coast of North America, from South Carolina to Labrador, from the intertidal zone to depth up to 575 meters. Rock crabs concentrate in shallow waters and seem to prefer sandy bottoms, although they …