Current Status of the Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtchaticus) and Snow Crab (Chionoecetes opilio) Industries in Norway

Abstract

Red king crab and snow crab have both become important species for the Norwegian seafood industry. Since the first commercial harvest of red king crab in 2002 and of snow crab in 2012, the Norwegian seafood industry has developed new technology and knowledge for handling these species. This includes new fishing gear, conditions for live storage and processing, handling of byproducts, and entrance into new markets. The total Norwegian quota for red king crab increased from 220 metric tons in 2002 to 2350 metric tons in 2017, with a free-red king crab harvesting zone to the west of the quota-regulated area to prevent further expansion of the crab. At present, there is no established quota for snow crab. In 2016, a volume of about 5300 metric tons of snow crab was landed in Norway. In 2016, the export of red king crab and snow crab in Norway amounted to 529 million and 338 million Norwegian Kroner, respectively. Based on regular surveys of crab populations in the Barents Sea, it is assumed that the volumes red king crab and snow crab will remain steady and increase, respectively. Thus, these industries will continue to be important to the Norwegian seafood industry.

Use of reflex indicators for measuring vitality and mortality of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio ) in captivity

“…Currently most of the Norwegian snow crab catch (and most of the worldwide catch) is processed and sold as frozen product but there is a strong demand and a growing interest in Norway and other countries in supplying live snow crab to markets in Asia (Lorentzen, Siikavuopio, & Whitaker, ; Lorentzen et al, ). This is partially a result of the success of live king crab exports from Norway which have increased exponentially in the past decade (Sundet, ).…”

Growth performance and survival rate of Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) broodstock females fed varying doses of amaranth extracts

“…According to data from the last ten years for the period 1993-2002, the export volume of crabs increased by an average of 16.72% per year, from 6,081 tons in 1993 to 11,246 tons in 2002 1 , whereas in the period 2007-2009 reports on the Indonesian market share of crab decreased from 17.6% to 16.3% 9 . The intensive harvest of crabs could cause a decline in natural populations of crabs 10 . Because little control exists in crab harvesting, populations of crabs are rare in Indonesian waters 11 .…”

Editorial: Introduced species challenges and opportunities for marine conservation ecology and management practices: Notes inspired by a recent MSC certification

“…No comments have been submitted to the certification body, however, and no concerns have been raised in the mainstream media or in science periodicals. Indeed, the red king crab (Figure ) has been fully established in the southern Barents Sea, and there are strong economic interests both in Russia (Lebedev & Goryanina, ) and in Norway (Lorentzen et al, ) to maintain the stock as a sustainably exploited resource. On the other hand, the Norwegian approach aims to prevent any spread of the red king crab further west than 26°E and any further southwards (Sundet & Hoel, ), in accordance with the requirements of the Convention on Biodiversity.…”

“…Exploitation of the snow crab resources in the Russian EEZ of the Barents Sea is based on the harvest control rules started in 2016 (Bakanev et al, ). The management regime of the snow crab fishery in Norway's waters is currently under development (Lorentzen et al, ). A new active benthic predator (Pavlov, ) and a new pot fishery, only partly overlapping with the present major trawl fisheries for demersal fishes in the Barents Sea, will apparently change the ecosystem functions in the Barents Sea.…”