Application of an innovative proteogenomics strategy to understand a possible link between sperm fitness and declining fertilization success in exploited snow crab populations on the south coast of NL

Funding period: 2024-2027
Lead: Harry Murray
Total GRDI funding: $240,284

The Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) snow crab fishery is among Canada’s most valuable, generating over $600 million in 2021. This male-only fishery targets the most sexually competitive individuals. While most stocks have recently rebounded from record-low levels, areas like Fortune Bay and NAFO Division 2HJ remain in poor condition. In Fortune Bay, reduced egg clutch fullness in females suggests possible sperm limitation—when sperm quantity or quality is insufficient to fertilize all eggs. This study will assess the reproductive health of male snow crab using traditional histology and a novel functional proteogenomics approach. We aim to detect anomalies in the reproductive proteome and transcriptome of males from bays with contrasting recovery statuses: Fortune Bay (low recovery, signs of sperm limitation) and St. Mary’s Bay (strong recovery, no signs of limitation). Identifying molecular disruptions in spermatogenesis may help explain reduced fertilization success and inform future management strategies for sustaining reproductive capacity.