Larvae of the red king crab Paralithodes canltschatica were sampled with 5 replicate tows of a 1 0 m2 N I 0 net from March to July, every 2 w k in 1985 a n d weekly in 1986 through 1988, in Auke Bay, Alaska Interannual variation exlsted in hme of hatch, length of larval period, larval density, synchrony w t h the spring phytoplankton bloom, and survival Hatching occurred earher, and the penod larvae were present was longer, in years with warmer water temperatures. Length of the larval penod

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... ed from 56 d (1985) to 113 d (1988). Maximum density of stage 1 zoeae varied from 10 (1988) to 45 per 100 m3 (1987). Larval survival from stage 1 zoea to glaucothoe, estimated by instar analysis, ranged from 0.7 (1986) to 3 % (1988), and survival from stage 1 to stage 4 zoeae ranged from 12.6 % in 1986 to 14 9 ' ' # I in 1987. Hatching coincided with the sprlng phytoplankton bloom in 1985 and 1987, but not in 1986 or 1988. Survival was not directly related to temporal synchrony of king crab larvae with the spring phytoplankton bloom.