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The red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus), also called Kamchatka crab or Alaskan king crab, is a species of king crab native to cold waters in the North Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas, but also introduced to the Barents Sea. It grows to a leg span of 1.8 m (5.9 ft), and is heavily targeted by fisheries.
In 1980, at the peak of the king crab industry, Alaskan fisheries produced 200 million lb of crab, but by 1983, the total size of the catch had dropped to less than 10% of this size. [13] Several theories for the precipitous drop in the crab population have been proposed, including overfishing, warmer waters, and increased fish predation.
The phylogeny of king crabs as hermit crabs who underwent secondary calcification and left their shell has been suspected since the late 1800s. [4] They are believed to have originated during the Early Miocene in shallow North Pacific waters, where most king crab genera – including all Hapalogastrinae – are distributed and where they exhibit a high amount of morphological diversity.
The golden king crab also has a distinctive carapace, which typically has five to nine spines on the mid-dorsal plate. [2] [5] Unrelated to their size, golden king crabs generally have the lowest meat-fill in proportion to their bodies compared with other Alaskan king crabs. They also have a fan-shaped tail flap located on the rear and ...
Alaska fishermen will be able to harvest red king crab for the first time in two years, offering a slight reprieve to the beleaguered fishery beset by low numbers likely exacerbated by climate change.
Common names for crabs in this genus include "queen crab" ... seals, squid, and Alaskan king crabs. ... two years and an average spawn size of up to 100,000 eggs ...