From a zoological point of view, crabs are the same crayfish, only short-tailed. Their small head is hidden in a special recess under the edge of the shell. In the shape of their body, all crabs differ sharply from the rest of their crustacean relatives. The fact is that in adults, the abdomen is shortened and bent down, and if you look at this creature from above, you can only notice its rounded cephalothorax. Like all other representatives of the world of fauna, these creatures have their own hierarchy, which is headed by the so-called king crab.
King of Crabs
The second name of the king crab is Kamchatka. This is one of the largest crustacean animals inhabiting the waters of the Far East. Delicious, tender and nutritious meat made the king crab an object of constant fishing, including illegal. The history of the appearance of this creature in the waters of the Russian Federation is quite simple: in the middle of the last century, this type of crustacean was deliberately introduced intoBarents Sea.
King crab is a massive and powerful crustacean animal. Often the width of its shell reaches 26 cm, and in individuals inhabiting the Gulf of Alaska, in general, 29 cm! The span of the walking limbs of this creature ranges from 1 to 1.5 meters, and the weight is up to 7 kg. Crab claws are located on the first pair of walking legs, while the right claw is slightly larger and stronger than the left. The animal needs it to break the shells of mussels, to destroy the shells of sea urchins, etc. The left claw is needed for crushing food. By the way, this crab feeds exclusively with its left claw.
Where does the king crab live?
The habitat of this creature is very large and diverse. The king crab can be found in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Sea of Japan and the Bering Sea. Scientists who observed the vital activity of these crustaceans came to the conclusion that their greatest concentration is concentrated off the western coast of Kamchatka. It is there that the main crab fishing takes place from year to year.
Reproduction of king crabs
King crab (photo presented in the article) reaches sexual maturity by 8-10 years, unless, of course, we are talking about males. Females become sexually mature a little earlier. These creatures can be called real travelers: from year to year they repeat the same seasonal route. They spend the winter cold under water at a depth of 250 m, spending almost the entire winter there. With the onset of spring, crabs return to their native coast for molting and subsequent reproduction. Whenautumn comes, they again go to the depths. And so constantly.
It is estimated that one female king crab can lay up to 300,000 eggs during the breeding season! Like all crayfish, females of these crabs carry eggs on their abdominal legs throughout the year. The nature of the wanderings of these creatures largely depends on fluctuations in water temperature. From the places of their constant wintering, they move to the shores in whole shoals: during this period, hundreds of thousands of long-legged king crabs move along the bottom of the sea. The spectacle, of course, is amazing!
It is worth noting that during this period, females carry already almost formed larvae. On the way to the cherished shallow water, the latter hatch from their eggs and begin to swim independently in the water column. Their mothers, meanwhile, continue on their way. Unfortunately, many larvae do not survive to their "adulthood" as they are a favorite prey of various marine animals.
In general, king crabs are slow-growing creatures, and water temperature is of decisive importance here. For example, in the warm waters of the American coasts, they grow and develop twice as fast.
King crab is a valuable object of fishing
The natural life expectancy of king crabs is 20 years, but many of them are not destined to live that long. And all because of the constant human hunting for them: the king crab is the most valuable commercial product that is in demand all over the world! When catching them, preference is given to males with a shell length of more than 13 cm. Females are usually notbeing caught.
Crab claws are an exquisite delicacy. Its right claw is especially valuable and tasty, in which the most tender and nutritious meat is concentrated. By the way, the meat of this crab is rich in all the necessary vitamins, amino acids and minerals: zinc, protein, iodine and other substances provide our body with invaluable benefits. The shells and innards of these creatures are processed into useful fertilizer.
These amazing creatures have long established themselves as a delicacy marine product, which is the main type of crabs in the domestic market. No wonder the king crab is the most famous commercial crustacean in the world.
Beware of poachers
The originality of king crabs and the high demand for them from consumers provoked the illegal capture of these animals. Poachers are on the alert: there are many crabs of dubious quality on the domestic market. This is poaching products.
Mostly "illegal" crabs come to us from the Barents Sea, and the catch of Far Eastern poachers almost never reaches the European part of our country. All this leads to the fact that crustaceans are massively exported to Japan. Employees of Rospotrebnadzor do not recommend eating such products, because only God knows what quality such a king crab is.
The price of the meat of these animals corresponds to its quality. For example, a kilogram of a king crab knee will cost about 1,300 rubles,and a kilogram of the second phalanx - about 1,700 rubles. For a whole crab, say, weighing 5 kg, you will have to pay about 10,000 rubles. This is such an expensive pleasure! And it's no coincidence.
As mentioned above, king crab meat is an indispensable source of all microelements, vitamins and, of course, minerals necessary for our body. Doctors recommend eating as many dishes prepared from this animal as possible. This helps to increase visual acuity, improve the condition of the body in case of cardiovascular diseases and anemia.
