CASE STUDY

The red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, one of the world’s largest arthropods, is a generalist predator that preys on a large range of organisms living on the surface of and burrowing in the sea bed1-5

6 Red king crabs .

I

The red king crab is native to the Okhotsk and Japan Seas, the Bering Sea, and the northern Pacific Ocean3

, where it is

an important economic resource. In Alaskan waters, red king crabs have historically been the second most valuable species to fishermen after salmon, although since the 1980s overharvesting has led to the closure of some areas to fishing6,7

II

. The king crab also has an invasive distribution in the Barents Sea. Since its introduction in the 1960s, the population has increased steadily and expanded its range, which now spans from Sørøya, Norway in the west8 Kolguev Island, Russia in the east, and to about 72° north9

and .

The species is thought to have reached the limit of its eastern distribution3,10

the Norwegian coast3

but continues its westward expansion along .

, and evidence of declining fertility might indicate that the species has or is reaching the limits of population growth10

of four million in 20042,12 westward expansion can be expected10

The number of commercially-sized crabs in Russian waters of the Barents Sea is estimated at approximately 5.85 million individuals11

. In Norway, the species had an estimated population and further population growth and .

Introduction and successful establishment of the red king crab into the Barents Sea region has had strong (and mixed) social, cultural, and economic impacts, especially for small- scale fishermen10,13

. Traditional fisheries have been impacted

. However, the red king crab also represents an important and growing income to fishermen15

Norway reached 80 million NOK18

through by-catch problems in both coastal spring and summer fisheries10,14

, and in

coastal northern Norway this has permitted small fishing communities to grow16,17

. By 2005, the total landed value in . The red king crab thus

represents an important new sea product, which is opening up international markets as well as attracting tourists. In northern Norway, king crab safaris are available for tourists, and an annual king crab festival is organized in cooperation with culture and tourism businesses to increase consumer awareness of the red king crab and other small-scale food products from the region.

76 PROTECTING ARCTIC BIODIVERSITY