King Crab
There are about 113 species of King Crab. Some folks place these King Crabs into 3 main categories: Blue King Crabs (the largest), Red King Crabs (pictured here) and Golden King Crabs (the smallest). The King Crab is not a true crab (see Crab Species).
Most King Crabs come from cold water such as Alaska or Russia, and of course the harvesting of King Crab is very dangerous due to weather and ocean factors in the northern oceans. Many people in the United States consider the King Crab to be their favorite crab for dining; my sister-in-law Debby for one.
Size: The regulations generally dictate a size of between 4 3/4 to 8 inches for a legal King Crab measured across the body. The legs can get quite long and I recall seeing a picture of a King Crab in my folks Compton Encyclopedia that was at least 8 feet from one end of a claw to the other. Since over fishing has diminished the population, the King Crabs are much smaller than in the past.
Mating: The following is from eHow and you can see that the mating of King Crabs is almost identical to other crabs. When a female King crab reaches sexual maturity and is ready to mate, she releases a chemical substance, called a pheromone, which attracts males. The chemical nature of the pheromone is not known. The sexually mature males perceive this pheromone and use their sense of smell to find the female. If more than one male reaches the female, they will fight over her until a winner arises. The winner grasps the female and holds her in order to deny other males the opportunity to mate. This situation may last several days.
Females cannot mate until they have shed their old, hard exoskeleton. The actual mating occurs once they molt and while their shell is still soft. This consists of the male passing sperm to the female by means of a structure called spermatophore, which the female stores in a spermathecae. Once this step is completed, the male continues to hold the female until her shell hardens. This arrangement is advantageous for both the male and the female. By holding on to the female, the male guarantees that no other competing male will contribute sperm, while the female is protected while her shell is soft and she is thus very vulnerable to attacks from predators.
Sustainability
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program helps consumers and
businesses make choices for healthy oceans. Their recommendations indicate which
seafood items are "Best Choices," "Good Alternatives," and which ones you should
"Avoid." Imported King Crab has received their "Avoid" rating, and Alaskan King Crab has received their "Good Alternatives" rating.
The MSC's fishery certification program and seafood ecolabel recognise and reward sustainable fishing. They are a global organisation working with fisheries, seafood companies, scientists, conservation groups and the public to promote the best environmental choice in seafood. Marine Stewardship Council.
The MSC's fishery certification program and seafood ecolabel recognise and reward sustainable fishing. They are a global organisation working with fisheries, seafood companies, scientists, conservation groups and the public to promote the best environmental choice in seafood. Marine Stewardship Council.
Marine Stewardship Council
Certified as sustainable on
December 1st 2010.The MSC's fishery certification program and seafood ecolabel
recognise and reward sustainable fishing. They are a global organisation working
with fisheries, seafood companies, scientists, conservation groups and the
public to promote the best environmental choice in seafood.
Size of Catch
This is a great picture of a King Crab by Wikipedia.
The catch of Alaskan King Crab in 1980 was 200,000,000 pounds! Three years later it dropped by over 90%.
My wife, Connie, and me and another couple had just purchased a condo in Maui from a crab fisherman from Kodiak, Alaska and he told us of the King Crab problem. All crabbing was suspended and the crabbers were trapping Snow Crab instead.
In the crabbing season of 2005-2006 the Alaskan catch was 14.000,000 pounds. To make matters worse, the Russian King Crab catch was 56,000,000 pounds; much of which was imported to the United States.