Market Name: King crab, red king crab, Alaska king crab
Scientific Name: Paralithodes camtschatica
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| Red king crab is the most highly valued of three commercially important species of king crab. Reds grow to 7 ft across, from leg-tip to leg-tip. They are harvested from the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and Southeast Alaska in depths of 60 to 100 fathoms. They are also found from northern Russia south to the Sea of Japan. U.S. fishermen catch king crabs in large, rectangular traps (or "pots"). Highest landings often come from Bristol Bay, in the southeastern corner of the Bering Sea. King crab harvests are restricted by quotas and seasons, and by size and sex limits (only large males are taken). Seasons and quotas are subject to yearly adjustments, depending on results of stock surveys. King crab is too valuable to be canned. The crabs are delivered live, then cleaned, butchered, brine-frozen and sold as sections or legs. |
Markets: US - Japan