Red King Crab Research Articles

Impacts of Rationalization on Exposure to High Winds in Alaska’s Crab Fisheries

ABSTRACTObjectives: Safety at sea is an often overlooked aspect of well-being that fisheries management actions can affect, even when management actions are not intended to affect safety. Catch shares management has been associated with longer fishing seasons and a decline in the intensity of competition among fishers. This study assesses changes in exposure of Alaska’s commercial crab fisheries to relatively high-risk weather conditions after rationalization, or catch shares management, was implemented.Methods: We compare the rates of fishing in high-wind conditions in the Bristol Bay red king and the Bering Sea snow/tanner crab fisheries pre- and post-rationalization. We also compare results to a portion of the crab fishery that did not undergo the same change in management.Results: The rate of high wind fishing in the snow/tanner crab fishery fell post-rationalization, but increased in the red king crab fishery.Conclusion: When the red king and snow/tanner crab fisheries are considered together, rationalization led to longer seasons and improved flexibility to choose when to fish according to weather conditions. The snow crab fishery experienced a marked decline in higher-risk fishing after rationalization. Results are contrary to expectations for the king crab fisherybecause the flexibility in trip timing provided by the program produced a shift in their season toward winter months when average wind speeds are higher.

THE POPULATION PARAMETERS FOR RED KING CRAB IN THE DALNEZELENETSKAYA BAY (BARENTS SEA) IN THE SUMMER PERIOD OF 2013

Some biological parameters of the local group of rеd king сrаb in the Dalnezelenetskaya Bay (Barents Sea) are determined in summer 2013. The large-sized mature сrаbs with the carapace width > 100 mm prevailed in scuba diving catches, with equal proportion of females and males. The females with violet eggs dominated among the egg-bearing females. Barren females were not caught. Percentage of the limbs injuries was 62 % that was lower than in the previous year. Total stock of red king crab in the bay was assessed as 4750 individuals. Significant increasing of the large-sized males abundance is noted that corresponds with general growth of their stock in the Barents Sea after the ban on the species fishery within the 12-mile coastal zone in 2011.

RECENT CHANGES IN THE OKHOTSK SEA ECOSYSTEM (2008–2018)

Recent changes of the main oceanographic, chemical, and biological parameters of the Okhotsk Sea ecosystem are considered briefly for the last decades (2000–2010s), mostly on the data obtained in marine expeditions conducted by Pacific Fish. Res. Center (TINRO) annually. Since the mid-2000s, anomalous oceanographic conditions were formed there with prevailing heightened temperature in all layers of the sea and lowered ice cover caused by changes in the atmosphere circulation with northward shift of cyclones tracks in winter and weakening of winter monsoon. The ice cover was below the normal value every year since 2004. In the warmer winter conditions, producing of the high-density water on the northern shelf decreased from 3.2–7.8 . 103 km3 in 1998–2002 to 1.2 . 103 km3 on average in 2004–2015, and the water with density sq > 26.8 was not formed at all in 2007–2009, 2011, and 2014–2015. As the result, winter convection, including the slope convection, became weaker and shallower and ventilated worse the water column, so dissolved oxygen content decreased in the lower portion of the intermediate layer, usually ventilated by slope convection. For the core of the intermediate layer (isopycnal surface 27.0 σθ), positive trend of temperature is estimated as +0.04…+0.16 o/decade, by areas, while the trend of dissolved oxygen content is negative: –0.07…–0.14 mL/L.decade, by areas. From the other hand, spring phytoplankton bloom became less intensive, presumably because of poorer upward flux of nutrients in conditions of weaker vertical mixing, and zooplankton biomass decreased, particularly for phytophages. However, these changes did not cause significant response in fluctuations of stocks for the main commercial fish and crab species. The largest stock of walleye pollock had cyclic fluctuations driven mostly by intra-population regulations, the stocks of pacific herring were rather stable, and the stocks of deep-water fish species, as flounders and halibuts had a slight tendency to growth, possibly because of better conditions for reproduction. Indeed, the densest aggregations of greenland halibut shifted from the depth of 600–700 m to 500–600 m that may be caused by de-oxygenizing of the lower portion of the intermediate layer. Crabs abundance also had positive dynamics obviously because of the effect of protective measures for red king crab in the 2009–2012, though its biomass continued to grow even after restoring the commercial landings. There is concluded that recent changes in the macroecosystem of the Okhotsk Sea correspond to the conception of the sub-polar ecosystems transformation under climate warming toward decreasing of their productivity and increasing of their functioning efficiency that was proposed earlier for the Japan Sea. Thus, from position of commercial exploitation of marine biological resources, the modern reconstruction of the Okhotsk Sea ecosystem under the climate change impact could be considered as a positive process.

Collagenolytic Enzymes and their Applications in Biomedicine

Nowadays, enzymatic therapy is a very promising line of treatment for many different diseases. There is a group of disorders and conditions, caused by fibrotic and scar processes and associated with the excessive accumulation of collagen that needs to be catabolized to normalize the connective tissue content. The human body normally synthesizes special extracellular enzymes, matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) by itself. These enzymes can cleave components of extracellular matrix (ECM) and different types of collagen and thus maintain the balance of the connective tissue components. MMPs are multifunctional enzymes and are involved in a variety of organism processes. However, under pathological conditions, the function of MMPs is not sufficient, and these enzymes fail to deal with disease. Thus, medical intervention is required. Enzymatic therapy is a very effective way of treating such collagen-associated conditions. It involves the application of exogenous collagenolytic enzymes that catabolize excessive collagen at the affected site and lead to the successful elimination of disease. Such collagenolytic enzymes are synthesized by many organisms: bacteria, animals (especially marine organisms), plants and fungi. The most studied and commercially available are collagenases from Clostridium histolyticum and from the pancreas of the crab Paralithodes camtschatica, due to their ability to effectively hydrolyse human collagen without affecting other tissues, and their wide pH ranges of collagenolytic activity. In the present review, we summarize not only the data concerning existing collagenase-based medications and their applications in different collagen-related diseases and conditions, but we also propose collagenases from different sources for their potential application in enzymatic therapy.

1-O-alkylglycerols from thehepatopancreas of thecrab Paralithodes camtschaticus, liver of thesquid Berryteuthis magister, and liver of the skate Bathyraja parmifera, and their anticancer activity on human melanoma cells.

1-O-alkylglycerols (AKG) are a class of natural ether lipids derived from 1-O-alkyl-2,3-diacyl-sn-glycerols by deacylation. In this study, 1-O-alkylglycerol (AKG) composition was investigated in the hepatopancreas lipids of thecrab Paralithodes camtschaticus and the liver lipids of thesquid Berryteuthis magister and the skate Bathyraja parmifera. One of the principal AKG in marine organisms was 1-O-hexadecyl-sn-glycerol (AKG 16:0). To assess AKG influence on melanoma, we evaluated the cytotoxicity and antiproliferative actions of natural AKG 16:0 and synthetic 1-O-octyl-sn-glycerol (AKG 8:0) on three human melanoma cell lines SK-Mel-5, SK-Mel-28, and RPMI-7951. Natural AKG 16:0 in concentration up to 20µM was not toxic to all cell lines. AKG 8:0 showed no toxicity to cells SK-Mel-5 and SK-Mel-28 in concentrations up to 20µM but had moderate cytotoxicity to RPMI-7951 cells with an IC50 of 13µM. Both investigated substances inhibited the proliferation, formation, and growth of cell colonies of RPMI-7951. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: AKG exhibit a variety of biological activities, including anticancer effects. In this study, the liver lipids of the skate B. parmifera and the hepatopancreas lipids of crab P. camtschaticus were shown to be sources of AKG. Our data showed that AKG can be used to prevent the formation of new colonies of malignant cells in combination therapy against melanoma. The results will be useful for future studies involving marine ether lipids and the examination of their anticancer properties against malignant cells.

CHITOSAN-GLUCAN COMPLEXES OF HIGHEST MUSHROOMS: SELECTION, IDENTIFICATION AND DETER-MINATION OF SOME PROPERTIES

The work is devoted to the study of chitosan-glucan complexes obtained from the higher fungi of the autumnal marmot (Armillaria mellea), shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and grifola frutosa (Grifola frondosa), optimization of the method of isolation and expansion of their use for various areas of the national economy. As objects of research, strains of fungi L. edodes F-1000 and G. frondosa 2639 isolated from commercial mycelium and A. mellea D-13 strain isolated from fruiting bodies harvested from Betula pendula stems in natural habitats of the Altai Territory. When analyzing the IR spectroscopy data, it was established that the samples of chitosan-glucan complexes isolated from the fruiting bodies of fungi are identical to the structure of chitosan obtained in the traditional way from the king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus). It was found that the test chitosan-glucan complexes in terms of intrinsic viscosity (1.6–2.2 cm3/g), molecular weight (37.5–51.8 kDa) and deacetylation degree (75.6–79.5%) significantly exceed the chitosan-glucan complexes obtained from the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus osteratus) and are comparable to the chitosan-glucan complexes of mold fungi (Aspergillus niger). At the same time, the chitosan-glucan complexes from A. mellea D-13 are closest to the chitosan isolated from P. camtschaticus in the above indices. According to the physico-chemical properties, the investigated chitosan-glucan complexes correspond to the requirements of food chitosan (TU 9289-067-00472124).

Can multitrophic interactions and ocean warming influence large-scale kelp recovery?

Ongoing changes along the northeastern Atlantic coastline provide an opportunity to explore the influence of climate change and multitrophic interactions on the recovery of kelp. Here, vast areas of sea urchin‐dominated barren grounds have shifted back to kelp forests, in parallel with changes in sea temperature and predator abundances. We have compiled data from studies covering more than 1,500‐km coastline in northern Norway. The dataset has been used to identify regional patterns in kelp recovery and sea urchin recruitment, and to relate these to abiotic and biotic factors, including structurally complex substrates functioning as refuge for sea urchins. The study area covers a latitudinal gradient of temperature and different levels of predator pressure from the edible crab (Cancer pagurus) and the red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus). The population development of these two sea urchin predators and a possible predator on crabs, the coastal cod (Gadus morhua), were analyzed. In the southernmost and warmest region, kelp forests recovery and sea urchin recruitment are mainly low, although sea urchins might also be locally abundant. Further north, sea urchin barrens still dominate, and juvenile sea urchin densities are high. In the northernmost and cold region, kelp forests are recovering, despite high recruitment and densities of sea urchins. Here, sea urchins were found only in refuge habitats, whereas kelp recovery occurred mainly on open bedrock. The ocean warming, the increase in the abundance of edible crab in the south, and the increase in invasive red king crab in the north may explain the observed changes in kelp recovery and sea urchin distribution. The expansion of both crab species coincided with a population decline in the top‐predator coastal cod. The role of key species (sea urchins, kelp, cod, and crabs) and processes involved in structuring the community are hypothesized in a conceptual model, and the knowledge behind the suggested links and interactions is explored.

Ecological risk assessment of predicted marine invasions in the Canadian Arctic.

Climate change is impacting environmental conditions, especially with respect to temperature and ice cover in high latitude regions. Predictive models and risk assessment are key tools for understanding potential changes associated with such impacts on coastal regions. In this study relative ecological risk assessment was done for future potential introductions of three species in the Canadian Arctic: periwinkle Littorina littorea, soft shell clam Mya arenaria and red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus. These species occur in locations connected to Canadian Arctic ports through shipping and have the potential to be introduced via ballast water discharge. The methodology proposed in this study is unique in the sense that it considers not only ballast water origin, but also the distribution of the species being assessed and the sensitivity of the receiving habitat. It combines detailed information (ballast water source of each tank, transit time, time of the year when the water is released, environmental suitability of receiving habitat, impact, and habitat sensitivity) in order to assess ecological risk. Through the use of this approach it is highlighted that domestic discharge events pose a higher relative overall risk on a vessel-specific and cumulative annual bases than international discharges. The main ports of Deception Bay and Churchill were classified as being at moderate to high relative risk for L. littorea and M. arenaria, especially from domestic vessels, while relative overall risk for P. camtschaticus was low for international vessels and null for domestic vessels due to few ships transiting from its range of distribution to Canadian Arctic ports. This work can serve as an approach to help build a list of potential high risk species–a “grey” watch list–for the Canadian Arctic, and provides useful information for consideration in future decision making actions such as the identification of high risk pathways, species and ports.

Sustainable seafood certifications are inadequate to challenges of ecosystem change

Abstract The recent Marine Stewardship Council certification for the Russian Barents Red King Crab demonstrates the consequences of overlooking ecological factors in seafood sustainability assessments. The crab is commercially valuable but has uncertain invasive effects for the ecosystem. Russian authorities manage it as a long-term fishery and openly accept the co-incidental risks that come along with the invasion. The Russian crab fishery is monopolized and there is limited transparency on both quota acquisition and decision-making regarding its management. Including ecological and socio-political dimensions expands the sustainability definition to more closely match general consumer perceptions of what certified sustainability represents. The focus of widely trusted certification processes on fishery practices masks important sustainability considerations from end consumers and may distort their choices.

Особенности поведения камчатского краба в зоне действия конусной ловушки

Особенности поведения камчатского краба в зоне действия конусной ловушки

Research agendas for profitable invasive species

ABSTRACTManagement of natural resources with uncertain net benefits presents an interdisciplinary challenge; economists often must rely on other disciplines to advise and evaluate policies. Net benefits may be uncertain due to absent, inconclusive or contradictory scientific findings. Economics must interpret uncertainties and ground policy recommendations in this context. Understanding biases in primary research agendas and the roles of vertical and horizontal integration in knowledge production and management are essential to prevent sub-optimal allocations across time and space, including avoiding recommendations of excess or insufficient harvest. We empirically investigate these biases by comparing disparate scientific literature and management decisions across vested interests to uncover how economic incentives systematically vary across research investments. The Barents Sea Red King Crab, a simultaneously profitable and invasive species with different net benefits across stakeholders, provides the empirical evidence. We find that scientific consensus is harder to achieve even for primary research when economic incentives differ across research institutions and that research agendas shift over time in response to changes in relative trade-offs between ecological consequences and financial benefits from the resource's presence. Impacts on management are accentuated by integration of the scientific research programmes and management decisions; broadening research participation and agendas may alleviate bias.

How does stocking density affect enhancement success for hatchery-reared red king crab?

Stock enhancement of red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus (Tilesius, 1815)) could increase the crab population near Kodiak, Alaska, which collapsed in the 1980s and has not recovered. We conducted a field experiment examining the effect of juvenile red king crab density on enhancement success. Hatchery-reared crabs were released in plots near Kodiak at three densities: 25, 50, and 75 m−2. Crab densities were monitored for 6 months after release. Predation risk was measured via tethering experiments and predator density via quadrat and transect surveys. Neither migration nor mortality changed with crab density, but mortality rates decreased over time. Crab density did not affect predator density or predation risk, although predation risk decreased with time. Excluding the high initial mortality rate of 67.5%, the predicted survival after 6 months was 34%, which is better than the survival observed in a wild population. This suggests that red king crab enhancement is not predation limited and can occur at high densities. Further, processes affecting juvenile red king crab may not be strongly density dependent, at least at the scales and habitats tested.

First Finding of Representatives of the Eccrinida Order in the Digestive Tract of King Crab Specie from the Barents Sea.

This is the first report on the finding of large intra-intestinal symbionts belonging to the order Eccrinida in crab-like decapod crustaceans of the family Lithodidae, Paralithodes camtschaticus and Lithodes maja, inhabiting the Barents Sea. Studies have been regularly conducted since the early 2000s in Kola Bay and in one of the inlets of the Eastern Murman Coast. Since 2005, Eccrinida representatives (presumably, a new species of the genus Arundinula) have been found in the guts of the red king crab. A brief description of the endosymbionts and data on their frequency of occurrence are presented. The possible reasons for the distribution of eccrinids in the crab-like decapod crustaceans of the Barents Sea are discussed.

The effects of dietary essential fatty acids on the condition, stress response, and survival of the larvae of the red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus Tilesius, 1815 (Decapoda: Anomura: Lithodidae)

The effects of dietary essential fatty acids on the condition, stress response, and survival of the larvae of the red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus Tilesius, 1815 (Decapoda: Anomura: Lithodidae)

Monoamine Oxidase Activity in the Hepatopancreas of the Kamchatka Crab Paralithodes camtschaticus: a Substrate–Inhibitor Specificity

A study of substrate–inhibitor specificity of mitochondrial monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the hepatopancreas of the adult Kamchatka crab Paralithodes camtschaticus revealed specific catalytic properties of the enzyme. On the one hand, crab hepatopancreas MAO, like its classical hepatic counterpart, can deaminate tyramine, tryptamine, dopamine, serotonin, noradrenalin, benzylamine, β-phenylethylamine and N-methylhistamine but shows no sensitivity to 10 mM semicarbazide. On the other hand, MAO deaminates histamine but not putrescine, two classical diamine oxidase (DAO) substrates. It was established that MAO activity was several times higher toward benzylamine, β-phenylethylamine and N-methylhistamine than toward serotonin and noradrenalin. MAO was also found to be almost 500 times more sensitive to its selective inhibitor deprenyl than to chlorogilyn. A substrate–inhibitory analysis with the use of deprenyl and chloroginyl provides an indirect evidence for the existence of a sole MAO molecular form in the Kamchatka crab hepatopancreas.

Quality parameters of processed clusters of red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) - Effects of live holding at 5 and 10 °C up to 92 days without feeding

Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) has become a valuable resource in the Norwegian fishery. After landing, the crab is exported either as live or as processed into two cooked-frozen sections (i.e., clusters) to high-end market segments in Europe, Asia and in the USA. Live holding can be an alternative to processing right after landing, offering a new possibility to control the time before processing or live export. The live holding period can last, in absence of feeding, from some days up to as long as three months. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of time and temperature on a series of quality parameters in red king crabs kept live without feeding at 5 and 10 °C up to 92 days. At day 0, 41, 62, and 92, the crabs were processed into cooked clusters followed by analyses. Meat content and cluster yield decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with live holding time and temperature as well as occurrence of moulting. Furthermore, the water content and pH of the cooked meat showed a significant increase as a function of live holding time, especially after 62 days of live holding at 10 °C. The live holding time and temperature have substantial negative effects on the product quality, likely related to the deterioration of muscle structure, that occur more markedly and earlier in the crabs kept at 10 °C (between 41 and 62 days) compared to their counterparts at 5 °C (between 62 and 92 days). The effects of live holding conditions appear more evident once the clusters are cooked compared to their raw counterparts. The results show that live holding time and temperature highly influence the quality of both live crabs and processed clusters. Thereby, a detailed knowledge and high control of live holding conditions are required to obtain an optimum quality of red king crabs.

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.

Cloning and characterization of serpin from red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus

Serpins are a family of serine protease inhibitors that are involved in numerous physiological processes and are known to regulate innate immunity pathways. To advance our understanding of their role in P. camtschaticus, a commercially significant species, we cloned and characterized a serpin from this species, designated serpin PC, that has anticoagulant and anticomplement effects on human blood. We found that serpin PC is a secreted protein with a typical serpin-like primary structure that is similar to other known crustacean serpins. Recombinant serpin PC was found to have inhibitory activity against R/K-specific bovine cationic trypsin. The reaction proceeds through the formation of a stable covalent complex of peptidase with P1 residue R383 of serpin PC. This interaction is characterized by a relatively high overall inhibition constant kass=(2.3 ± 0.7) × 106 M−1s−1 and an SI of 4.7 ± 0.8. Protein localization by western blotting showed that serpin PC is present in the muscles and, to a lesser extent, the heart, whereas it is transcribed predominantly in hemocytes and the heart. Through peptidase activity profiling of hemocytes and plasma, we found that serpin PC inhibits at least two R/K-specific activities and showed that it inhibits phenoloxidase (PO) activity induction in hemocytes.

Effects of the invasive red king crab on food web structure and ecosystem properties in an Atlantic fjord

Effects of the invasive red king crab on food web structure and ecosystem properties in an Atlantic fjord

Commercial Ice Fishing for Red King Crab in Nome, Alaska

FisheriesVolume 43, Issue 5 p. 249-254 Photo Diary Commercial Ice Fishing for Red King Crab in Nome, Alaska Chris Miller, Chris Miller csmphotos.com Search for more papers by this author Chris Miller, Chris Miller csmphotos.com Search for more papers by this author First published: 25 May 2018 https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10065Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume43, Issue5May 2018Pages 249-254 RelatedInformation