King Crab Fishery Research Articles

Spatiotemporal physical barrier analysis of southern king crab (Lithodes santolla) catch rates in Magallanes, Chilean Patagonia (2014–2020)

Spatiotemporal patterns on fishing success and catch rates were analyzed for the southern king crab (Lithodes santolla) fishery in Chilean Patagonia (48ºS-55ºS). The analysis considered the effects of physical barriers on the spatial distribution within two complex coastal geography fishing zones. The north zone (50–54°S), close to Puerto Natales, has the more complex coastal topography, with numerous islands, archipelagos, channels, and inland sea. Instead, the south zone (55°−56°S) is relatively free of barriers. Operational data from 2014 to 2020 were obtained on board by scientific observers. The best spatiotemporal model was an opportunistic spatial pattern characterized by different yearly spatial realizations for fishing success and catch rates, with seasonal and bathymetric effects for catch rates. The higher catch rates in the north zone are probably associated with the size of crab aggregations, which tend to disperse over a wider area due to physical barriers. In contrast, the south zone has fewer physical barriers and more concentrated crab aggregations. Therefore, catch per unit effort in the southern king crab fishery should consider the effects of physical barriers on the spatial correlations and other covariables for fishing power and catchability effects.

A tragedy of the commons case study: modeling the fishers king crab system in Southern Chile.

Illegal fishing in small-scale fisheries is a contentious issue and resists a straightforward interpretation. Particularly, there is little knowledge regarding cooperative interactions between legal and illegal fishers and the potential effects on fisheries arising from these interactions. Taking the Chilean king crab (Lithodes santolla; common name centolla) fishery as a case study, our goal is twofold: (i) to model the effect of illegal-legal fishers' interactions on the fishery and (ii) analyze how management and social behavior affect fishery's outcomes. We framed the analysis of this problem within game theory combined with network theory to represent the architecture of competitive interactions. The fishers' system was set to include registered (legal) fishers and unregistered (illegal) fishers. In the presence of unregistered fishers, legal fishers may decide to cooperate (ignoring the presence of illegal fishers) or defect, which involves becoming a "super fisher" and whitewashing the captures of illegal fishers for a gain. The utility of both players, standard fisher and super fisher depend on the strategy chosen by each of them, as well as on the presence of illegal fishers. The nodes of the network represent the legal fishers (both standard and super fishers) and the links between nodes indicate that these fishers compete for the resource, assumed to be finite and evenly distributed across space. The decision to change (or not) the adopted strategy is modeled considering that fishers are subjected to variable levels of temptation to whitewash the illegal capture and to social pressure to stop doing so. To represent the vital dynamics of the king crab, we propose a model that includes the Allee effect and a term accounting for the crab extraction. We found that the super fisher strategy leads to the decrease of the king crab population under a critical threshold as postulated in the tragedy of the commons hypothesis when there are: (i) high net extraction rates of the network composed of non-competing standard fishers, (ii) high values of the extent of the fishing season, and (iii) high density of illegal fishers. The results suggest that even in the presence of super fishers and illegal fishers, the choice of properly distributed fishing/closure cycles or setting an extraction limit per vessel can prevent the king crab population from falling below a critical threshold. This finding, although controversial, reflects the reality of this fishery that, for decades, has operated under a dynamic in which whitewashing and super fishers have become well established within the system.

Improving size selection in the Norwegian red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) fishery through modification to pot design and soak time.

Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) represent a valuable inshore fisheries resource for communities in northern Norway. The fishery is regulated east of the 26th meridian by vessel quotas and a minimum landing size of 130 mm carapace length. It is executed using baited pots that must be fitted with circular escape openings. Despite this, pot catches typically contain a large proportion of sub-legal sized crab. This implies increased labor-intensive sorting which can lead to crab becoming injured, loosing limbs or delayed mortality. Such consequences negatively impact the sustainability of the fishery. In this study, we examined the potential of two new pot designs and longer soak times to reduce undersized crab catches in comparative field trials. A design consisting of a tarpaulin panel on the pot entrance (intended to prevent undersized individuals from gaining traction and entering) was found to be no better at reducing undersized catches than the currently used commercial design fitted with escape openings. A second design with a baited lower chamber (which could be accessed through the pot floor via escape openings) was intended to motivate undersized crab to escape more readily. If fished commercially, any crab in the bottomless lower chamber would be left behind on the seabed upon hauling. This design was found to have minimal effects on sublegal catches. However, increasing the soak time of the currently used commercial design from 1 day to 4 days reduced undersized crab catches substantially. This effect is likely related to bait becoming exhausted over time, thereby increasing the opportunity and motivation of sublegal crab to find and exit the pot through the mandatory escape openings. Laboratory-based behavioural observations using the panel design indicated that entry was dependent on crab orientation and that crab were less successful at entering than for the commercial design. However, all sizes of crab used an unintentional fold in the panel to increase their entrance probability. This may explain the lack of success of this design during the field trials. We conclude that ensuring bait is exhausted by employing longer soak times than is typically used by fishers would reduce catches of undersized crab in the fishery. Data availability statementThe data underlying this article will be shared on reasonable request to the corresponding author.

A first look at the genetic diversity of Enteroctopus megalocyathus (Cephalopoda: Enteroctopodidae) captured by the king crab fishery in the south of Chile

AbstractThe octopus fishery in the southern tip of South America is based on Enteroctopus megalocyathus. It is fished on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, but no study has yet investigated the genetic variability of this octopus, which is frequently collected as bycatch. The genetic identity and diversity of E. megalocyathus from specimens caught by the king crab fishery along the Beagle Channel in southern Chile was investigated using sequences of three mitochondrial (16S rRNA, COI and COIII) and one nuclear (rhodopsin) markers. Homologous sequences from other Enteroctopodidae were included to determine the genetic variability of E. megalocyathus. In addition to E. megalocyathus, genetic data allowed us to identify Muusoctopus eureka, a species also collected by the king crab fishery. Enteroctopus megalocyathus was found to be genetically similar to E. zealandicus; the genetic distances between these two species were low, 0% (16S rRNA), 0.2% (COI) and 0.6% (COIII), which was also confirmed by the phylogenetic topologies, as both species are in the same clade. Enteroctopus megalocyathus has low levels of genetic diversity, as shown by haplotype and nucleotide diversity values for the mitochondrial markers (Hd = 0.06–0.32; π = 0.0001–0.003), and null diversity for the nuclear marker. All the haplotypic networks resolved with the mtDNA markers showed shared haplotypes among E. megalocyathus, E. magnificus and E. zealandicus. The low genetic diversity of E. megalocyathus can be attributed to both the geological history of South America and the life history of the species, rather than to the king crab fishery.

Entrepreneurship and Dynamic Property Rights: A Process Model

Embracing Ronald Coase’s (1974) recognition of the role of private enterprise in resolving problems with lighthouse services and other public goods, we suggest that the evolution of property rights is rooted in entrepreneurial action. We argue that property rights entrepreneurship is more important and pervasive than recognized and support this argument using examples ranging from evolving intellectual property protections for radio frequencies to the control of Alaskan king crab fisheries. Moreover, we argue that the standard institutional economics logic of rational analysis of costs and benefits does not adequately characterize the phenomenon. We propose that property rights entrepreneurship is best portrayed as an iterative and evolutionary interaction between entrepreneurial action and economic structures. Broadly, we add to the entrepreneurship literature by emphasizing the importance of property rights entrepreneurship and advancing a dynamic model of property rights entrepreneurship. We also introduce new constructs such as property rights voids, enabling conditions, the activation level of excludability, the presumption of rights, and distinctions between asset-rights and product-rights entrepreneurship.

Renewal of the amateur red king crab fishery in Russian waters of the Barents Sea: Potential benefits and costs

The red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) was introduced into the Barents Sea in the 1960s, and the established population of this species has supported commercial Russian fishery since 2004. Licensed recreational fishing for red king crab occurred in 1999–2006. This activity was forbidden after a ban of the red king crab fishery within the 12-mile zone of Russia. In 2021, the amateur red king crab fishery was renewed at several coastal sites of the Barents Sea. An analysis of stock dynamics and fishery statistics indicates that a decline in the crab abundance indices was associated with official, illegal, and amateur fisheries in the coastal Barents Sea. Advantages of recreational crab fishing include the satisfaction of the local population, income from the sale of licenses, and increased tourism potential of the region. Disadvantages are associated with contamination of the nearshore environment, increased illegal fishing, increased mortality of nontarget crabs, and additional costs of control and monitoring.

Decapods Associated with the Southern King Crab (Lithodes santolla) Fishery in Central Patagonia (44° S, Chile)

The southern king crab, Lithodes santolla, is an important fishery resource in the inner seas of Chilean Patagonia. The fishing gear used to catch southern king crab (bait trap) and its operation at different depths over several months provide the opportunity to gather information about relative abundance. The aim of the present study was to analyze the information collected from the catches of southern king crab and its associated fauna in the Magdalena Fjord to study the biodiversity and ecology of scavenging decapod crustaceans. Specifically, the study aimed to determine the bathymetric patterns of abundance by species, to model the abundance by season (winter and spring) and to determine the structuring pattern of scavenging decapods assemblage. Samples were collected between June and November 2019 by deploying traps in four bathymetric strata: 1 = 0–50 m; 2 = 51–100 m; 3 =101–150 m; 4 = 151–200 m. We registered a total of 673 decapod specimens associated with the southern king crab fishery, representing five species: Lithodes santolla (n = 96), Libidoclaea smithii (n = 10), Metacarcinus edwardsii (n = 58), Munida gregaria (n = 507) and Peltarion spinulosum (n = 2). The abundance of decapod species varied by month and bathymetric strata. We found bathymetric patterns for L. santolla abundance, M. gregaria, M. edwardsii, and total species abundance. The most informative model to explain scavenging decapod abundance by generalized linear model (GLM) included species and season. The null model of species co-occurrence analysis revealed that all species associations during the sampled months were random. Our study is the first that provides evidence about patterns of bathymetrical and temporal variation of scavenging decapod abundance and expands the body of knowledge regarding the biodiversity of scavenger decapods in the Magdalena Sound.

Managing a Natural Asset That Is Both a Value and a Nuisance: Competition versus Cooperation for the Barents Sea Red King Crab

AbstractWe develop a bioeconomic model for the management of the Barents Sea red king crab (RKC) fishery, which is a shared stock between Russia and Norway. The RKC is a well-established invasive s...

Allocation of research resources for commercially valuable invasions: Norway's red king crab fishery

This paper models the optimal allocation of research resources aimed at understanding the consequences of a marine invasion. The model assumes returns to research are uncertain. Furthermore there are joint returns to research ahead of the invasion frontier and within the already invaded area. Research ahead of the frontier helps define external damages by establishing the baseline ecosystem services and values; research in the invaded area determines restoration needs and costs associated with controlling the invaded area's population. Additionally, research in the invaded area may improve management of any commercial aspect of the invading species, which may warrant accommodation. In such a case, simple application of the precautionary approach to the invasion has direct quantifiable costs in foregone commercial benefits. Benefits of research thus may accrue either from improved information regarding the potential or actual damages of the invasion, or from improved information for solving the common property management challenges of a commercial species. In the latter case, improved management heightens expectations of foregone benefits ahead of the frontier. We use the Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) invasion in Norway as a case study. The crab is a valuable global commodity whose invasive presence in the Barents Sea is impacting the benthos. Harvesting or controlling the crab reduces these impacts, but the net benefits of doing so are uncertain and require both baseline research and restoration research to ascertain. We distinguish the research for Red King Crab in different types based on the potential to reveal marginal external benefits from commercial harvesting. We illustrate how misallocation of research resources can be reduced when the uncertainties create incentives that promote research into tangible commercial benefits over less certain ecosystem benefits. Our analysis suggests that there is currently greater marginal benefit from directing more research resources toward baseline research at the frontier of the invasion instead of making additional investments in research that focuses on the commercial potential of the invasive yet valuable crab.

The Current Status of the Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) Stock and Fishery off Western Kamchatka

The current status of the red king crab population off western Kamchatka is considered based on data from bottom trawl surveys and fishery statistics since 2013. Some biological parameters of this crab species are provided; its commercial stock is estimated; some features of red king crab fishery and determination of total allowable catch for the past 7 years are analyzed. The red king crab fishing was resumed in 2013 after an 8-year ban imposed due to the population decline. During this period, the stock recovered and reached values greater than those recorded before the ban: the total estimated size of red king crab population in 2017 was almost 244 million ind., which is the highest value for the recent 17 years of research; the estimated number of commercial-sized males, 110 million ind., has not been recorded from the western Kamchatka shelf for at least past 4 decades. Recently, the Severny Zapretny and Khairyuzovsky areas of the shelf zone have yielded their role of main feeding grounds for pre-recruit crabs and juveniles to the Ichinsky area located south. For the 7 years of red king crab fishery, harvest values have been steadily high. In the past 3 years, the major part of the annual catch of live crabs has been exported to China and South Korea. As the analysis of size structure show, the body size of male red king crabs has been increasing each year all over the shelf. This may be explained by the strict sorting of caught crabs aboard vessels transporting live crabs with the release of the largest individuals; another possible explanation is the relatively low recorded number of pre-recruits in the past 2 years. For the 7 years past (including 2019), the fishing mortality rate is estimated within a range of 5–16% of the crab stock actually recorded from the permitted fishery areas, which is a highly cautious approach. In the nearest future, the crab commercial stock is expected to gradually decrease, which, nevertheless, should not fall below the reference target value of biomass. The current status of the red king crab population off western Kamchatka does not raise concern, and the ongoing intense harvesting of this valuable species within the recommended catch size will not have any negative effect on its commercial stock.

The Lighthouse-Keeper in Economics: Property Rights Entrepreneurship and the Externality Problem

The lack of effective property rights regimes is a root cause of numerous undesirable outcomes from market-based systems. We argue for more attention to the nature of property rights for a host of assets and propose a dynamic theory of property rights which recognizes their evolutionary nature and the role of entrepreneurs in their creation and development. We suggest that the actions of profit-motivate entrepreneurs initiate and encourage the development of property rights for markets for externalities. We argue that property rights entrepreneurship is more important and pervasive than recognized in the literature and point to numerous examples throughout economic history, from evolving intellectual property protections for biotechnology firms to the protection of Alaskan king crab fisheries. We present a process model which summarizes the dynamics of property rights entrepreneurship. We also introduce novel constructs to the field, including property rights voids, enabling conditions, the activation level of excludability, accelerating resource degradation, the presumption of rights, and distinctions between asset-rights and product-rights entrepreneurship. We also distinguish between rights creation (the generation of regimes of excludability) and rights capture (the acquisition of those rights). Finally, we discuss implications for the efficient functioning of markets, the preservation of resources, and social welfare.

Current state of stock and fishery of red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus at West Kamchatka

Current state of the red king crab population at West Kamchatka is considered on the data of bottom trawl surveys and fishery statistics since 2013. Some biological parameters of the crabs and assessments of the commercial stock are presented; recent condition of the red king crab fishery and evaluation of the total allowable catch are discussed. The red king crab fishery was resumed in 2013, after 8 years of ban caused by the population decrease. During the ban, the stock restored and exceeded the value observed before the ban: the total accounted abundance of red king crab in 2017 was about 244 . 106 ind. that was the highest level for the last two decades, with the number of commercial males estimated as 110 . 106 ind. — this amount was never observed before on the shelf of western Kamchatka, at least in four decades of surveys. Recently the northern forbidden district and Khayryuzovsky district of the shelf zone lost their role of the main areas of crabs reproduction and their juveniles feeding, in favour to the Ichinsky district located southward. Recent fishery of red king crab is fruitful and sustainable. In the last 3 years, the major part of annual catch is transported alive to ports of China and South Korea. For this purpose, the caught crabs are sorted strictly aboard fishing vessels and the largest males are released back to the sea. Possibly, year-to-year increasing of the males size on the West Kamchatka shelf is caused by this sorting and releasing; another effect of the large-sized crabs releasing is relatively low number of recruits in the last couple of years. The fishery elimination coefficient is estimated in the range 5–16 % of the total accounted stock for 2013–2019, that shows a highly precautionary approach. Gradual decreasing of the crab commercial stock is forecasted for the nearest future, though the stock will remain above the target value. Current state of the red king crab population at West Kamchatka is not considered as dangerous, and ongoing intense fishery of this valuable species within the recommended volumes will not affect this sustainable state.

Upswing and expansion of the southern king crab (Lithodes santolla) fishery in Northwest Patagonia: Drivers, trends and opportunities for management

The southern king crab (SKC) (Lithodes santolla) represents an important fishery in South America, which in Chile has traditionally been developed south of 47°S. Since 2010, the SKC fishery has increased its landing range in the Chilean inner sea from ∼41°S to ∼47°S and expanded its offshore fishing areas. In this study, we analyzed data from landings collected by the government (Sernapesca), and monitoring data collected by the Instituto de Fomento Pesquero (IFOP). We identified: (i) a first early phase of the SKC fishery with landings of around 200 t annually, and (ii) a second phase characterized by increased landings (∼1000 t annually), an increased number of boats and fishing trips, the offshore expansion of fishing zones, and a decreasing trend in yields. This second phase appears to have been driven mainly by the high price commanded by king crabs around the world (around US$ 18/kg FOB in 2011) and the resulting increased fishing effort (∼1000%). This male-only crab fishery is managed by “the 3S rule” (Sex, Season, and Size), and landing records consider a spatial stratification in the study area which separates inner sea and offshore areas. Monitoring is concentrated in the inner sea, where ovigerous females are between 16% and 46% of the female catches, with a size >7 cm of carapace length. Females show interannual variability in their clutch fullness. We propose improving the monitoring of this important fishery and revising management rules in order to establish a temporal reproductive refuge (e.g. to extend closed season).

Molecular identification by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism of commercially important lithodid species (Crustacea: Anomura) from southern South America

King crab fisheries constitute a highly profitable marine business in southern South America, where five fisheries for lithodids currently exist, two in Chile and three in Argentina. These fisheries mainly target Lithodes santolla, however in some localities the harvested morphospecies is Lithodes confundens, and in some others it constitutes a mixed fishery since it also captures Paralomis granulosa. Fishery products can be commercialized as frozen shredded or canned minced meat, making specific identification unfeasible since the morphological characters used in the identification are on the carapace, and consequently, not available in these processed products. Therefore, a potential for food fraud exists, since southern king crab meat (L. santolla/ L. confundens) could be replaced by the less expensive false southern king crab, i.e. P. granulosa. Furthermore, incongruence between morphological and genetic characters rendered the taxonomic status of both morphospecies of commercial Lithodes questionable, and stressed the need of implementing molecular methods to monitor the abundance and distribution, as well as the landings, of each genetic clade of L. santolla/ L. confundens. In the present study, we developed rapid and cost-efficient Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) tests that can aid in the identification of commercially important lithodids that inhabit waters off southern South America in cases where identification is not possible using morphological characters.

A social-ecological trap perspective to explain the emergence and persistence of illegal fishing in small-scale fisheries

We use the social-ecological trap (SET) concept and path-dependence analysis to explain the emergence and persistence of illegal fishing, taking the Chilean king crab fishery as a case study. The results suggest that the fishery is caught in a SET, which we label the “illegality trap”, characterized by positive feedbacks between regulation astringency, illegal access, fishers’ resistance, and fishing effort that keep the fishery in an undesirable state. As a process, illegal fishing arises as the denunciation of past poverty conditions and policies enacted to protect private rights to the sea, against traditional fishing logics. As a state of the system, illegal fishing is a relational phenomenon involving fishers, intermediaries, processors, and consumers. Over time, the different types of fishers emerge along well-structured international and local fish chains: the legal fisher, the cooperative fisher, the legal-illegal fisher, and the illegal fisher, encompassing a continuum from subsistence to competitive rationalities, which reflect adaptive strategies in the face of normative-legislative constrictions and market opportunities. Yet, the “legal” or the “illegal” is not a permanent condition, but it can be one and/or the other, depending on the circumstances. These results contend the reductionist view of the deterrence dogma which depicts illegal fishing as a matter of rational utility maximizers. On the contrary, the SET described here reflects the complexity of a problem with many edges, from legislation legitimacy to cultural responses across all the actors involved.

An uncertainty-based decision support tool to evaluate the southern king crab (Lithodes santolla) fishery in a scarce information context

Decision-making in fishery management depends on the reliable quantification of uncertainty, which emerges from a variety of sources. For small-scale fisheries (SSF) in developing countries, the main sources of uncertainty are the available data, which are often untrustworthy, and poor institutional controls, which allow illegal fishing activities. Despite the global spread of SSF, the management of these socio-ecological resources is usually based on insufficient assessments estimated using scarce data. In this study, we identify and quantify the uncertainty associated with the harvested biomass of southern king crab (SKC) (Lithodes santolla), as declared by artisanal fishers of the Magallanes Region, Chile, in order to assess the harvestable biomass under a precautionary (conservative) approach to its exploitation in a scarce information context. This analysis includes the application of (i) fuzzy-Bayesian machine learning to quantify the uncertainty related to the harvested biomass per vessel per fishing cruise (C), and (ii) nonlinear polynomial regression models to project the spatial distribution of C according to the estimated uncertainty limits (minimum and maximum). The uncertainty analysis shows a 2000 kg threshold for C; beyond that, the declared harvest does not follow the estimated relationship between biomass and habitat characteristics (temperature, turbidity). The maps created from this analysis convey crucial information that would allow a more rational exploitation of the SKC stock and could be used to estimate a sustainable fishing quota, i.e., allocating effort according to the harvestable biomass. Our results suggest that the proposed tool can reliably inform management faced with uncertainty in stock exploitation by SSF, particularly when information is scarce.

Autumn distribution of Bristol Bay red king crab using fishery logbooks.

Spatial distributions of fished species must be well characterized to avoid local depletions, identify critical habitat, and predict and mitigate interactions with other fisheries. The Bristol Bay red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) fishery is one of the largest crab fisheries in Alaska. Summer crab distributions have been well documented by decades of bottom trawl surveys. However, crab movement and distribution are poorly understood outside the summer survey period, which creates several management challenges. One important component of fishery management is the existence of no-trawl zones, which are intended to protect crab from bottom trawl fisheries. However, it is difficult to evaluate the placement of no-trawl zones, because most crab bycatch occurs in trawl fisheries during winter when crab distributions are unknown. Daily fishing logs, kept by skippers in the red king crab fleet since 2005, contain detailed information on the spatial distribution of catch and effort of legal sized male crab during the autumn crab fishery. However, data contained in these hand-written logbooks have not been readily accessible. We digitized daily fishing logs from 2005 to 2016 and used spatial information on catch and effort to infer geographic distributions of legal sized male king crab during the crab fishing season. Changes in distribution were tracked across this 12-yr period and comparisons were made between warm and cold temperature regimes. In warm years (2005, 2014–2016), crab aggregated in the center of Bristol Bay, Alaska, while in cold years (2007–2013) they were closer to the Alaska Peninsula. The majority of crab were caught in no-trawl areas (63.4% on average), but variations occurred among years and with temperature regime (40.0–86.8% in no-trawl zones). As temperatures continue to shift in the Bering Sea, it will be important to continue monitoring crab distributions outside the summer survey period.

On super fishers and black capture: Images of illegal fishing in artisanal fisheries of southern Chile

Illegal fishing (IF) is an unrelenting problem for small-scale fisheries governance worldwide, one with complex causes and solutions. This study explores stakeholders’ images on IF as a way to understand its underpinnings and persistence. As an apt illustration, the king crab (Lithodes santolla) fishery of the Magellan region, Chile, was chosen, which operates under a semi-open-access regime. The results from two-year ethnographic research reveal four powerful images, as they literally emerge from stakeholders’ narratives, comprising a series of practices that are branded in these particular terms: i) super fishers, which refers to owners of authorized vessels, who land the capture of unauthorized ones; ii) whitewashing, which involves the “whitening” of catch coming from unauthorized vessels or extracted in anticipation of the fishing season; this unreported capture can enter the export chain; iii) cooked on board, which involves the processing and packing, while at sea, of banned undersized or female crabs, which are later sold locally; and iv) black capture, that involves the landing of alive banned crabs in unauthorized ports, that are later processed in households and sold locally. These images suggest that IF is a relational phenomenon; this is to say that it is distributed on a series of relationships, practices, and actors embedded in a particular geographic and cultural context. As such, IF is difficult to dismantle, since changes do not depend on the ideal behavior of one actor -“the ethical fisher”- but on transformations of intertwined practices of all actors across the value chain.

Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) fisheries in Russian waters: historical review and present status

The red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) is a highly valued delicacy on the international market and currently contributes significantly to the income from fisheries in the regions where it is harvested. Russian income from red king crab export is $200–250 million per year. We review both the biology and fishery of the two largest populations of this species in Russia, i.e., in western Kamchatka (Sea of Okhotsk) and in the Barents Sea. The latter was established in the mid-1990s after introduction of red king crab to the area in the 1960s. The Barents Sea crabs are larger, grow faster and mature earlier than the crabs from the Sea of Okhotsk owing to more favorable temperature conditions in the Barents Sea. Additionally, we provide fishery information for the Prymorie population of red king crab (Sea of Japan) that remains depressed and closed for commercial fishery at present. Although the fishery period of red king crab in western Kamchatka is much longer than in the Barents Sea (1930–present time vs. 2004–present time), similar patterns were observed for the exploited king crab populations. High annual landings led to a pronounced decrease in population density and total abundance that, in turn, led to closures or some limitations of fisheries. Subsequent rehabilitations of the populations provided an opportunity for reopening of the fisheries and further exploration of red king crab populations under sustainable management. The main reason explaining a decline in red king crab populations both in the North Pacific and in the Barents Sea is high, mainly illegal, fishing pressure. Sustainable harvest strategies for the fisheries could prevent negative scenarios (overfishing) in the future.

The Norwegian management of an introduced species: the Arctic red king crab fishery

Introduced into the Barents Sea in the 1960s, the red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) has been fished commercially in Norway since 2002. Because it is an introduced species, its management raises a number of concerns. Minimising the threats posed by non-native species that cannot be eradicated is a challenge facing nature management authorities worldwide. High concentrations of crab on fishing grounds in eastern Finnmark in North Norway have interfered with traditional gillnet and longline fisheries, prompting fishermen to demand compensation for lost income. Difficult trade-offs were posed by the dual management objectives, which included (i) preventing the geographical expansion of the crab and (ii) exploiting the resource to provide income to coastal communities. The Norwegian government, with the consent of Parliament, has developed a management regime that addresses both objectives: an open-access fishery west of 26°E to prevent further west- and southward expansion of the crab population, and a regular commercial fishery east of that longitude. This management regime commands wider consideration, owing to its handling of the dilemmas inherent in the management of introduced species.