Bycatches of the red king crab in the bottom fish fishery in the Russian waters of the Barents Sea: assessment and regulations

Abstract

Abstract An analysis of red king crab bycatch in bottom-trawl fisheries in the Russian exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Barents Sea based on data collected from 2010 to 2019 shows an annual range of 2.2–9.8 thousand tonnes of crab bycatch from 2010 to 2018, which is 0.7–2.9% of the total biomass of red king crab in the EEZ. It was found that the catch of commercially valuable male crabs in the bottom-trawl fishery ranged from 1.4 to 6.5 thousand tonnes, which is ∼0.7–3.3% of the total commercial stock. A protected area created in 2006 is estimated to prevent the catch of 1.1–4.8 thousand tonnes of crab; however, protective measures do not take into account the peculiarities of the current distribution of crab populations and the geography of the fishing area. This work offers suggestions for improving the regulatory measures to protect the king crab stock in Russian waters of the Barents Sea.