Content
- red royal crab
- royal blue crab
- snow crab
- Bairdi
- gold crab
- scarlet royal crab
- the fur crab
- fishing gear
Documentaries on king crab fishing and other crab varieties in the Bering Sea have been broadcast for many years.
In these documentaries, we can observe the harsh working conditions of the hardworking and brave fishermen who exercise one of the most dangerous professions in the world.
Keep reading this Animal Expert article and find out the crabs of the Bering Sea.
red royal crab
O red royal crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, also known as the Alaska giant crab is the main objective of the Alaska crab fleet.
It should be noted that said fishing is controlled under strict parameters. For this reason, it is sustainable fishing.Females and crabs that do not meet a minimum size are immediately returned to the sea. Fishing quotas are very restricted.
The red king crab has a 28 cm wide carapace, and its long legs can be 1.80 meters apart from one end to the other. This species of crab is the most valuable of all. Its natural color is a reddish hue.
royal blue crab
O royal blue crab it is another valuable species that is fished on the islands of São Mateus and the Pribilof islands. Its color is brown with blue highlights. Specimens weighing 8 kg were fished. Its pincers are larger than those of other species. the blue crab is more delicate than red, perhaps because it lives in very cold waters.
snow crab
O snow crab is another specimen that is fished during the month of January in the Bering Sea. Its size is much smaller than the previous ones. Its fishing is very dangerous as it is done in the peak of arctic winter. All these fisheries are currently heavily regulated by the authorities.
Bairdi
the cbairdi crab, or Tanner crab, suffered in the past from overfishing that endangered its existence. Ten years of prohibition achieved a full recovery of the population. Today the ban on their fishing has been lifted.
gold crab
O gold crab fishing in the Aleutian Islands. This is the smallest species, and also the most abundant. Its carapace has a golden orange hue.
scarlet royal crab
O scarlet royal crab it is very sparse and highly valued. Not to be confused with the scarlet hermit crab, typical of warm waters.
the fur crab
O fur crab, it is a common species in other waters besides the Bering Sea. It has great commercial importance.
fishing gear
The fishing gear used for crab fishing is the pits or traps.
The holes are a kind of large metal cages, in which they place the bait (cod and other varieties), which are then thrown into the water and collected after 12 to 24 hours.
Each crab variety is fished with specific fishing gear and depths. Each species has its fishing season and quotas.
On some occasions, crab fishing boats face waves of up to 12 meters, and temperatures of -30ºC. Every year fishermen die in those icy waters.