Jonah crab are sturdy, hard-shelled creatures with black-tipped claws. They weigh about a pound apiece. (Photo by Pien Huang/WCAI)
This is the second of the three-part series, Indicator Species: New England Fishermen and the Challenges of Climate Change. You can find part one here.
The lobster industry in southern New England has been on the decline for decades. As waters warm, some lobster fishermen are adapting by switching their catch to Jonah crab, a crustacean once considered a trash species.
Mike Palombo is captain of a 72-foot lobster boat, but his main catch is crabs.
He leaves from the Sandwich Marina for three-day fishing trips, going out over 100 miles to haul traps in the Canyons. One day this fall, he and his crew returned with around 23,000 Jonah crab and 2,000 lobsters in big saltwater holding tanks. “It was a good trip, very productive,” he said.
Jonah crab are sturdy, hard-shelled creatures, with black-tipped claws. They’re about a pound apiece. You might not have heard of them, but Jonah crab are sustaining Southern New England fishermen left stranded by the decline of lobsters.

Tracy Pugh, a lobster biologist, says there’s been a drop in the lobster population south of the Cape, in part because the waters are warming. (Photo by Pien Huang/WCAI)
Here are some recipe ideas and tips from chef Scott Roberston for preparing Jonah Crab at home.
- Jonah crab are sturdy, hard-shelled creatures with black-tipped claws. They weigh about a pound apiece. (Photo by Pien Huang/WCAI)
- A fishing boat crew fills plastic tubs with Jonah crab for unloading. (Photo by Pien Huang/WCAI)
- Jonah crab are sustaining Southern New England fishermen left stranded by the decline of lobsters. (Photo by Pien Huang/WCAI)
- Jonah crab landings have tripled in the past decade, from about 4 million in 2007, to 12 million last year. (Photo by Pien Huang/WCAI)
- A three-day crabbing trip returns to the Sandwich Marina with around 23,000 Jonah crab. (Photo by Pien Huang/WCAI)