[Press Release] GMGI Sequences the Genome of the Jonah Crab
January 2025
(GLOUCESTER, MA) A team of researchers at Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute (GMGI) has sequenced a reference genome for the Jonah crab (Cancer borealis), which supports a relatively young, yet rapidly growing fishery along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. This new research provides the scientific community with an essential resource to advance fisheries and biomedical research and conservation management efforts.
Jonah crabs are found from Newfoundland, Canada to Florida in the Atlantic Ocean but are most abundant in New England where a prominent fishery has developed within the last two decades. With lobsters in southern New England declining due to shell disease and warming temperatures, targeting Jonah crab became a viable, economically-friendly alternative for lobstermen. GMGI’s research will enable further studies of its unique biology and ecology and promote a sustainable, well-managed fishery.
The team, including Senior Research Associate Jennifer Polinski, Research Scientist Tim O’Donnell, and GMGI’s Donald G. Comb Science Director Andrea Bodnar, Ph.D., recently published their research in G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, with a paper titled “Chromosome-level reference genome for the Jonah crab, Cancer borealis.”
This new genome generated by GMGI scientists will not only have impacts on fisheries and conservation, but also enables the continued use of Jonah crab as a model for advancing critical neuroscience research. In addition to presenting the first genome assembly for Jonah crab, the team’s publication included comparative analyses with other crustacean genomes and examined expansions of gene families related to nervous system function. “This work has far-reaching implications,” said Dr. Bodnar. “The Jonah crab has contributed fundamental knowledge to understanding nervous system function and the genome will help advance this important area of research.”
During the project, the team also biobanked cells and tissues from the Jonah crab, providing readily accessible samples for the research community, even those without access to the ocean. “Through biobanking, we can ensure that genetic material from this time in the ocean’s history is captured,” said Jennifer Polinski, lead author on the paper. “This information may prove to be critical for future conservation efforts.”
In the short time since its assembly, the Jonah crab reference genome has already enabled a high-resolution population genetics assessment for Jonah crab throughout its range to help delineate biologically relevant stock boundaries, helping scientists to determine signals of local adaptation in response to changing environmental conditions. This is especially critical during this time of rapidly warming waters in the northwest Atlantic Ocean that has already had a dramatic impact on the distribution and disease occurrence in other economically important crustaceans like the American lobster.
Click here to read the full paper.
About Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute
Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute addresses critical challenges facing our oceans, human health, and the environment through innovative scientific research and education. By bringing world-class science and transformative workforce development to Gloucester’s historic waterfront, GMGI is catalyzing the regional economy. GMGI’s Gloucester Biotechnology Academy is a 9-month certificate training program that trains recent high school graduates for careers as lab technicians. Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute’s state-of-the-art research institute on Gloucester Harbor opened in 2018 at 417 Main Street.