[5] The deep sea red-crab (DSRC) species resembles a snow crab from Alaska.

DSRC on the U.S. East Coast show distinct sex segregation by depth along the continental slope.

[8] This distribution suggests that red deep sea crabs undergo ontogenetic (life-cycle) migration.

[10] Mature deep sea red crabs (DSRC) adults will usually migrate towards the upper slopes of the continental shelf for reproduction, there is also other favorable factors such as warmer temperatures, better abundance in prey, etc, that influence the adult crabs to migrate upwards that help with reproduction and dispersal.

The main stimulus for larvae to swim towards the surface is temperature, and as development proceeds the sinking rates of the crabs within their range increases.

After the early stages of development the juvenile crabs will continue growth in the mid slopes, the females will typically start to migrate toward to the upper slopes to join the adult females for mating, the males will typically start to migrate into deeper depths.

After a decrease in other larger crustacean species, there became an increases interest in the deep sea red-crab fishery.