RED KING CRAB IN THE COASTAL BARENTS SEA: A REVIEW OF MMBI STUDIES

In 1960th, red king crab was intentionally introduced into the Barents Sea. This species has formed a new self-sustaining population. In Russian waters, the commercial fishery of red king crab was started in 2004. Non-indigenous status and high commercial value of the crab have led to growing interest in the study of its biology and ecology. Red king crab has been intensively studied by specialists of Murmansk Marine Biological Institute to evaluate the role of this crab in local benthic communities and provide a theoretic basis and important applications for fishery science. New data on the population dynamics, symbiotic relationships, feeding and reproduction of red king crab have been obtained from long-term studies in coastal waters of the Barents Sea. Significant results of these studies are presented in this review.

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Studies on impact of the alien Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) on the shallow water benthic communities of the Barents Sea

Journal of Applied Ichthyology ◽

10.1111/j.1439-0426.2010.01494.x ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 66-73 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

T. A. Britayev ◽

A. V. Rzhavsky ◽

L. V. Pavlova ◽

A. G. Dvoretskij

Keyword(s):

Shallow Water ◽

Barents Sea ◽

Benthic Communities ◽

Red King Crab ◽

Paralithodes Camtschaticus ◽

King Crab ◽

The Barents Sea

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Population dynamics of the invasive lithodid crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, in a typical bay of the Barents Sea

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fst037 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 70 (6) ◽

pp. 1255-1262 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Alexander G. Dvoretsky ◽

Vladimir G. Dvoretsky

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Barents Sea ◽

Carapace Width ◽

Red King Crab ◽

Paralithodes Camtschaticus ◽

King Crab ◽

The Barents Sea ◽

Recreational Diving ◽

Marked Decline

Abstract Dvoretsky, A. G., and Dvoretsky, V. G. 2013. Population dynamics of the invasive lithodid crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, in a typical bay of the Barents Sea. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 1255–1262. We investigated population dynamics of the introduced red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus (Tilesius, 1815), in Dalnezelenetskaya Bay, a typical coastal site of the Eastern Murman (Barents Sea) in summer over an 8-year period. In this bay, as in other coastal sites, juvenile crabs were most abundant. Among large crabs, the sex ratio was highly biased to females suggesting the important role of shallow water areas in reproduction of the red king crab. In 2002–2004, the carapace length (CL) frequency distribution of small crabs tended to be bimodal (30 and 60 mm). In 2005–2007 and 2009, crabs with a modal CL of 20 and 40 mm dominated. For small crabs, weight–length relationships were similar in males and females, while for large crabs the relationships differed significantly between sexes. Large males had a greater carapace width (CW) and merus length (ML), and higher CW/CL and ML/CL ratios, than large females due to sexual dimorphism. In 2002–2007, the total number of red king crabs was estimated to be 4100–7400 individuals; in 2008, we observed a marked decline to 350 individuals; in 2009, the total stock increased again to 3760 individuals. The observed patterns are in accordance with the stock dynamics reported for other coastal areas and could be associated with high levels of illegal fishing including recreational diving.

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