Growth rates of free-ranging hatchery-reared and wild juvenile
crabs from field releases were similar (Fig. 4). Linear models provided
the best fit to the observed growth data in all release sites. For releases in
Aberdeen Cove and Cadle Creek, AICc indicated that the best model was
one in which neither daily growth rate (a) nor initial release size (b)
differed between hatchery-reared and wild juveniles. In Sheepshead
Cove, the best model predicted equivalent daily growth rates, but that
initial size varied between hatchery-reared and wild crabs. In each case,
the best models were fairly well supported by the data with Akaike
weights 0.86, 0.76, and 0.64 for releases in Aberdeen Cove, Cadle Creek
and Sheepshead Cove, respectively. The model averaged MLE of growth
rate (a) of juvenile crabs was higher in our summer release in Aberdeen
Cove (0.87 mm CW d−1
), but similar between the fall releases in Cadle
Creek (0.26 mm CW d−1
) and Sheepshead Cove (0.25 mm CW d−1
;
Fig. 4).