Recruitment variability is poorly understood for Bering Sea crab stocks. The nearshore area in southwest Bristol Bay (Alaska, USA) is hypothesized as having historically (i.e., prior to ~ 1980) been the most important spawning ground for Bristol Bay red king crab ( Paralithodes camtschaticus ) because post‐larvae are thought to have been most likely to reach optimal settlement habitat along the Alaska Peninsula when hatched fr...