Lithodes aequispinus | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
Infraorder: | Anomura |
Family: | Lithodidae |
Genus: | Lithodes |
Species: | L. aequispinus |
Binomial name | |
Lithodes aequispinus (Benedict J. E., 1895) [1] | |
Lithodes aequispinus, the golden king crab, also known as the brown king crab, is a king crab species native to the North Pacific. [2] Golden king crabs are primarily found in the Aleutian Islands and waters nearer to Alaska and British Columbia; their range also extends to the Russian far east and Japan, albeit with a less dense population. [2] [3] Golden king crabs are the smallest of the three commercially viable Alaskan king crab species with an average weight between 5 and 8 lbs (2.3 - 3.6 kg); the other two species being the blue and red king crabs. [2] Golden king crabs were historically caught incidentally in red king crab fisheries, but the first commercial landing took place in 1975; in 1981, the targeted pot-fishing method, a hybrid fishing method specifically for golden king crab, was developed. [3] [4]
The golden king crab is a North Pacific king crab, a decapod crustacean. They have five pairs of legs, the front pair carries their claws. Golden king crabs get their name from the orange-brown to golden hue of their shells, which are mostly made of calcium. [3] Like other king crabs, golden king crabs are large and have long, spiny legs; compared with blue and red king crabs, though, they are smaller by a great deal, with a typical weight between 5 and 8 lb, and notably thinner legs. [2] 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 underside of their bodies; adult female crabs brood embryos underneath their tail flaps. [2]
Although L. aequispinus may be referred to as either "golden king crab" or "brown king crab", the US Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 Food and Drugs part 102 section 102.50 declared that the appropriate market name for its product is “brown king crabmeat”, but as of November 2017. this was overridden by section 774 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, which established the proper market name as “golden king crabmeat”. Manufacturers and sellers of products containing L. aequispinus were granted until January 1, 2020, to make the appropriate change to product labels. [6]
The primary range of the golden king crab is around the Aleutian Islands and waters surrounding southern Alaska and British Columbia, as well as the Russian far east and Japan to a lesser degree. Substantial Alaskan populations of golden king crabs occur off of the Pribilof and Shumagin Islands, Shelikof Strait, Prince William Sound, and the lower Chatham Strait in Southeastern Alaska. [2] [3]
Golden king crabs typically inhabit waters ranging from 300 to 1000 meters in depth. [7] They usually avoid open sand substrates, instead favoring complex sloping and rocky habitats, often relying on boulders or structure forming sessile invertebrates such as coral or sponges for habitat. Adult golden king crabs exhibit an annual deep and back migratory pattern during which they travel to shallow waters in the late winter to molt and mate. This is followed by a return to deeper waters, where they feed and exist for most of the year. [2] [3] Golden king crabs often occupy deeper waters than red king crabs; within their geographical range they are the most abundant species of crab. [2]
Golden king crabs exhibit 20-month asynchronous reproductive cycles during which female crabs typically brood 10,000 to 30,000 eggs underneath their fan-shaped tail flaps for roughly a year. [2] [3] Golden king crabs have the largest eggs of the three commercially viable king crab species. Offspring emerge as swimming larvae, but are weak and susceptible to underwater currents. Throughout their transformation into adulthood, golden king crabs undergo several physical transformations via molting. Offspring eventually settle at the bottom of the ocean in waters with a usual minimum depth of 300 ft. [2]
Golden king crabs are typically classified as juveniles in their first few years. After reaching sexual maturity around 4 to 5 years of age, they are classified as adults. Golden king crabs molt throughout their entire lives, and juveniles do so more frequently than adults. Due to reproductive necessity, females molt more often than their male counterparts, which can keep their shells for one to two years at a time. [2]
Throughout their lives, golden king crabs exhibit an annual offshore “deep and back” migrational pattern, which involves male and female crabs arriving in shallow water in late winter and early spring to molt their shells and mate. When embryos hatch in late spring, they then migrate to deeper waters for feeding, wherein they are not typically found with crabs of the opposite sex nor with red or blue king crabs. [2]
Golden king crabs consume a wide variety of species, including worms, clams, mussels, snails, sea stars, urchins, sand dollars, barnacles, algae, sponges, and even other crabs and crustaceans. Many crabs have a strong sense of smell; the golden king crab uses this to locate food. Golden king crabs are also preyed on by various fishes such as Pacific cod, halibut, and yellowfin sole, as well as sea otters. [2] [3] Nemertean worms have also been found to consume the embryos of golden king crabs. [2]
Due to their small size, golden king crabs are not as popular as blue or red king crab, but they are widely fished throughout Alaska, particularly in the Aleutian Islands. In comparison with other commercially viable king crabs, golden king crabs are noted as being similar in flavor, but perhaps milder and sweeter. [2] [3] [8]
To protect the golden king crab stock in Alaska, several regulations have been established. Crab fishermen may only catch and harvest males of a legal size, that being 7 cm or larger laterally across the carapace. [3] [5] Fishing also must not coincide with mating and molting periods. [3]
After the North Pacific Council approved stock assessments of golden king crab, state managers were allowed the authority to increase crab fishing quotas by the Alaska Board of Fish. As of 2015, in coordination with the industry, the state has conducted numerous surveys of golden king crab stock. As of August 2018, quotas for golden king crab fishing rose for the first time in 20 years. This allowed the taking of 3.9 million pounds of golden king crab east of Adak island, and 2.5 million pounds west of Adak, increases of 18 and 11%, respectively. [4] In the following season, as of August 2019, quotas for golden king crab harvest were again increased, allowing 4.3 million pounds to be taken east of Atka island, and 2.9 million west of Atka. The raised quota represented respective increases of 12 and 15% since the previous season. The 2019 golden king crab season is the second for which the government's new stock assessment model was used. The new stock assessment model determines seasonal crab stock more thoroughly than previous methods and is unique to golden king crab. [9]
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth: Eurasia and the Americas. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves. The Bering Sea is named after Vitus Bering, a Danish navigator in Russian service, who, in 1728, was the first European to systematically explore it, sailing from the Pacific Ocean northward to the Arctic Ocean.
Trawling is an industrial method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net, that is heavily weighted to keep it on the seafloor, through the water behind one or more boats. The net used for trawling is called a trawl. This principle requires netting bags which are towed through water to catch different species of fishes or sometimes targeted species. Trawls are often called towed gear or dragged gear.
The Aleutian tern is a migratory bird living in the subarctic region of the globe most of the year. It is frequently associated with the Arctic tern, which it closely resembles. While both species have a black cap, the Aleutian tern may be distinguished by its white forehead. During breeding season, the Arctic terns have bright red bills, feet, and legs while those of the Aleutian terns are black.
The Dungeness crab is a species of crab inhabiting eelgrass beds and water bottoms along the west coast of North America. It typically grows to 20 cm (7.9 in) across the carapace and is a popular seafood. Its common name comes from Dungeness Spit, United States, which shelters a shallow bay inhabited by the crabs.
King crabs are a taxon of decapod crustaceans that are chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their meat, many species are widely caught and sold as food with the most common being the red king crab.
Deadliest Catch is an American reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 12, 2005. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons. The base of operations for the fishing fleet is the Aleutian Islands port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Produced for the Discovery Channel, the show's title is derived from the inherent high risk of injury or death associated with this line of work.
Alaskan king crab fishing is carried out during the fall in the waters off the coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. The commercial catch is shipped worldwide. Large numbers of king crab are also caught in Russian and international waters.
Individual fishing quotas (IFQs), also known as "individual transferable quotas" (ITQs), are one kind of catch share, a means by which many governments regulate fishing. The regulator sets a species-specific total allowable catch (TAC), typically by weight and for a given time period. A dedicated portion of the TAC, called quota shares, is then allocated to individuals. Quotas can typically be bought, sold and leased, a feature called transferability. As of 2008, 148 major fisheries around the world had adopted some variant of this approach, along with approximately 100 smaller fisheries in individual countries. Approximately 10% of the marine harvest was managed by ITQs as of 2008. The first countries to adopt individual fishing quotas were the Netherlands, Iceland and Canada in the late 1970s, and the most recent is the United States Scallop General Category IFQ Program in 2010. The first country to adopt individual transferable quotas as a national policy was New Zealand in 1986.
The red king crab, 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.
The wildlife of Alaska is both diverse and abundant. The Alaskan Peninsula provides an important habitat for fish, mammals, reptiles, and birds. At the top of the food chain are the bears. Alaska contains about 70% of the total North American brown bear population and the majority of the grizzly bears, as well as black bears and Kodiak bears. In winter, polar bears can be found in the Kuskokwim Delta, St. Matthew Island, and at the southernmost portion of St. Lawrence Island. Other major mammals include moose and caribou, bison, wolves and wolverines, foxes, otters and beavers. Fish species are extensive, including: salmon, graylings, char, rainbow and lake trout, northern pike, halibut, pollock, and burbot. The bird population consists of hundreds of species, including: bald eagles, owls, falcons, ravens, ducks, geese, swans, and the passerines. Sea lions, seals, sea otters, and migratory whales are often found close to shore and in offshore waters. The Alaskan waters are home to two species of turtles, the leatherback sea turtle and the green sea turtle. Alaska has two species of frogs, the Columbia spotted frog and wood frog, plus two introduced species, the Pacific tree frog and the red-legged frog. The only species of toad in Alaska is the western toad. There are over 3,000 recorded species of marine macroinvertebrates inhabiting the marine waters, the most common being the various species of shrimp, crab, lobster, and sponge.
F/V Northwestern is an Alaskan crab, Pacific cod, and salmon tendering commercial fishing vessel featured in the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch. To date the Northwestern is the only vessel to have featured on all 19 seasons of Deadliest Catch as well as the pilot series America's Deadliest Season. The vessel is owned and operated by the Hansen family of the state of Washington with Sig Hansen serving as the vessel's primary captain.
The shortspine thornyhead, also known as the channel rockcod, shortspine channel rockfish or spinycheek rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is sometimes referred to as the "idiot fish" or "idiot cod" due to its large oversized head and eyes. It is found in the northern and northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Lithodes maja, the Norway king crab,northern stone crab, or trollkrabbe, is a species of king crab which occurs in colder North Atlantic waters off Europe and North America. It is found along the entire coast of Norway, including Svalbard, ranging south into the North Sea and Kattegat, the northern half of the British Isles, and around the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and off south-eastern Greenland. In the West Atlantic, it ranges from the Davis Strait between Greenland and Canada south to The Carolinas in the United States.
The Alaska pollock or walleye pollock is a marine fish species of the cod genus Gadus and family Gadidae.
As with other countries, the 200 nautical miles (370 km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coast of the United States gives its fishing industry special fishing rights. It covers 11.4 million square kilometres, which is the second largest zone in the world, exceeding the land area of the United States.
The Atka mackerel is a mackerel in the family Hexagrammidae. Atka mackerel are common in the northern Pacific ocean, and are one of only two members of the genus Pleurogrammus - the other being the Arabesque greenling. The Atka mackerel was named for Atka Island, the largest island of the Andreanof islands, a branch of the Aleutians.
Paralithodes platypus, the blue king crab, is a species of king crab from cold waters in the North Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas. Although blue king crabs are among the largest crabs in the world and reputedly may exceed 18 pounds (8.2 kg) in weight, they are generally smaller than red king crabs.
Primnoa(Lamororux, 1812) also known as red tree coral, is a genus of soft corals and the type genus of the family Primnoidae (Milne Edwards, 1857). They are sessile, benthic cnidarians that can be found in the North Pacific, North Atlantic, and Subantarctic South Pacific, and its members often play a vital ecological role as keystone species within their environment as a habitat and refuge for the megafauna that also inhabit those regions. This, in combination with their slow growth, makes the increasing disturbance to their habitats caused by fishing activities particularly impactful and difficult to recover from.
Sebastolobus altivelis, the longspine thornyhead, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in deep waters of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Longspine thornyhead are similar in appearance to shortspine thornyhead though they don't grow as large and are typically found in deeper water.
Agdaagux Tribe of Kind CoveAlaska is a federally recognized tribe based in Belkofski, Alaska. Population is found to be 845 people, 170 households, and 116 families in King Cove as of 2022. The tribe is descended from both Unangax and non-Native people.