Ecology and Distribution of Red King Crab Larvae in the Barents Sea: A Review

Abstract

The red king crab (RKC) is a large invasive species inhabiting bottom communities in the Barents Sea. Larval stages of RKC play an important role in determining the spread and recruitment of the population in the coastal waters. We present a review of studies concerned with the ecology of RKC larvae in the Barents Sea focusing on their dynamics and role in the trophic food webs as well as on the role of environmental factors in driving RKC zoeae. Zoeal stages are larger, and their development time is shorter in the Barents Sea compared to the North Pacific. RKC larvae appear in late January–February and can be found in the coastal plankton until mid-July. Mass hatching of RKC larvae in the Barents Sea starts in late March-early April. The highest densities of RKC larvae are located in small semi-enclosed bays and inlets with weak water exchange or local eddies as well as in inner parts of fjords. Size structures of the zoeal populations are similar in the inshore waters to the west of Kola Bay but slightly differ from those in more eastern regions. RKC larvae perform daily vertical migrations and move to deeper depths during bright daylight hours and tend to rise during night hours. RKC larvae are plankton feeders that ingest both phyto- and zooplankton. A set of environmental variables including food conditions, water temperature, and advective influence are the most important factors driving the spatial distribution, phenology, survival rates, development, growth, and interannual fluctuations of RKC larvae. Recent climatic changes in the Arctic may have both negative and positive consequences for RKC larvae.

Marine Plankton during the Polar Night: Environmental Predictors of Spatial Variability

“…Plankton communities exhibit clear seasonal changes associated with fluctuations in environmental variables (nutrient concentration, light intensity, grazing impact, predation pressure, and hydrological conditions). A bulk of previous studies has been focused on the spring–autumn period [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ] while the winter season is less well studied due to severe environmental conditions (the presence of ice cover, low temperatures, storms, and polar night). Recent publications have reported the activities of pelagic communities under such extreme conditions [ 45 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ].…”

Amino Acid Composition in Different Tissues of Iceland Scallop from the Barents Sea

“…This ecosystem sustains major fisheries primarily targeting cod (Gadus morhua), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), saithe (Pollachius virens), and capelin (Mallotus villosus). Crustacean targeted fisheries predominantly focus on northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis), red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus), and snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) [6,8,9]. The Animals 2024, 14, 230 2 of 13 latter two species are invasive yet well adapted to their novel environments [10,11].…”

Fatty Acids in the Eggs of Red King Crabs from the Barents Sea

“…Further population growth and range extension both eastward and westward along the coastline of the Barents Sea supported a significant increase in the abundance and biomass of this species. By the late 2000s, the abundance had become sufficient to develop a local king crab industry, leading to the initiation of commercial fishing for red king crab in 2002 in Norway and 2004 in Russia [3]. In Russian waters, the population has demonstrated significant biomass fluctuations, mainly due to inadequate fishing pressure over the first decade and changes in the climate regime over the second decade of exploration [3].…”