King Crabs

King crabs are a family of crab-like decapod crustaceans chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their flesh, many species are widely caught and sold as food.

Here at Ozzie's we serve the red king crab or Stalin's Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus), the most coveted and expensive of the commercially sold king crab species. A red king crab can be very large, sometimes reaching a carapace width of 11 inches and a leg span of 6 feet. It is most commonly caught in the Bering Sea and Norton Sound, Alaska, and while difficult to catch, it is nonetheless the most preferred crab for consumption. Red king crab gets its name from the color it turns when it is cooked rather than that of its actual color while still alive, which tends to be more burgundy.

King crab fishing is carried out during the winter months in the waters off the coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. The commercial harvest is performed during a very short season, and the catch is shipped worldwide. Large numbers of king crab are also caught in Russian and international waters. Commercial fishing boats are 40 to 250 feet in length, are equipped with hydraulic systems to lift the catch, and are able to withstand the freezing weather of the Bering Sea. Each fishing boat sets their own sailing schedule during the crabbing season, often staying out for days or weeks at a time.

Fishermen use a steel box-shaped trap called a pot which consists of a steel frame covered with a wire mesh. Each pot weighs 600–800 pounds and a ship may carry 150 to 300 pots. Fish, usually herring or codfish, are placed inside as bait and then the pot is sunk to the sea floor where the king crabs reside. The pots are dropped in a line for easier retrieval. Red king crabs can be found anywhere between the inter-tidal zone and a depth of 100 fathoms (600 ft). The location of the pot is marked on the surface by a buoy which is later used for retrieval. After allowing the pots to rest on the sea floor, typically one to two days, the pots are dragged back to the surface using a hydraulic crane.

The pot is then brought onboard the boat and the crew sorts the king crab. Only male king crabs measuring 6.5 inches from spine to spine may be kept; any not meeting the regulation size requirements are sorted out and returned to the sea. The crabs are stored live in a holding tank until the boat reaches a port where they are sold and processed. If the weather becomes too cold the live crabs may freeze and burst. If they are left in the tank for too long they will harm and possibly kill each other as they can be cannibalistic. Additionally, if a crab dies in the hold it releases a toxin which can kill many crabs. If the crew doesn't remove the dead crabs, they can potentially poison the whole tank and ruin the entire catch.

Recently, an overpopulation of red king crabs in the Barents Sea is causing concern about the local bio-systems. It was introduced artificially in the Murmansk Fjord in Russia during the 1960s to provide new catch for the Soviet fishermen. Since its introduction it has spread west along the Norwegian coast and also towards the island group of Svalbard. Environmentalists and some local fishermen fear the crab because it eats everything it comes across and is spreading very rapidly. Despite this threat, some fishing quotas on the crab are still in place.

 

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