From a zoological point of view, crabs are the same.crayfish, only short-tailed. Their little head is hidden in a special recess under the edge of the shell. In the shape of their bodies, all crabs differ sharply from the rest of their crustacean relatives. The fact is that in adults, the abdomen is shortened and folded 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 the fauna, these creatures have their own hierarchy, headed by the so-called king crab.
King among 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. Tasty, tender and nutritious meat has made the Kamchatka 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 species of crustaceans was deliberately introduced into the Barents Sea.
Kamchatka crab is massive and powerful.crustacean animal. Often the width of its shell reaches 26 cm, and in individuals inhabiting the Gulf of Alaska, generally 29 cm! The span of the walking limbs of this creation ranges from 1 to 1.5 meters, and the weight - 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 for breaking mussel shells, for destroying the shells of sea urchins, etc. He also needs the left pincer to crush food. By the way, this crab is fed exclusively with the help of its left claw.
Where does the king crab live?
Ареал обитания этого существа весьма велик и varied. Kamchatka crab can be found in the Sea of Okhotsk, 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 fishery occurs from year to year.
Breeding Kamchatka crabs
King crab (photo presented in the article)reaches puberty by the age of 8-10, if, 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 pass the winter cold under water at a depth of 250 m, spending almost all winter there. With the onset of spring, crabs return to their native coast for moulting and subsequent reproduction. When autumn comes, they again go to the depths. And so constantly.
It is estimated that one female king crabcapable of laying up to 300 thousand eggs during the breeding season! Like all river crayfish, the females of these crabs carry eggs on their abdominal legs throughout the year. The nature of the wanderings of these creatures depends largely on the fluctuations in water temperature. From the places of their constant winterings, they move to the shores with whole shoals: during this period, hundreds of thousands of long-legged king crabs move along the seabed. Sight, of course, amazing!
It is worth noting that during this period the females are carried onalready almost formed larvae. On the way to the cherished shallow water, the last hatch out of their eggs and begin to swim independently in the water column. In the meantime, their mothers continue their journey. Unfortunately, many larvae do not live to their “majority”, since they are the favorite prey of various marine animals.
In general, Kamchatka crabs are slow-growing.creatures, with water temperature being crucial here. For example, in the warm waters of the American coasts, they grow and develop twice as fast.
The Kamchatka crab is a valuable target.
Natural life expectancy of Kamchatkacrabs - 20 years, but many of them are not destined to live so much. And all because of the constant hunt for them by the man: the king crab is the most valuable commercial product in demand all over the world! When they are caught, preference is given to males having a shell length of more than 13 cm. Females are usually not caught.
Crab claws are an exquisite delicacy.Especially valuable and tasty is its right claw, in which the most tender and nourishing 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 the insides of these creatures are processed into useful fertilizer.
These amazing creatures have long beenestablished themselves as a delicious seafood product, which is the main type of crabs on the domestic market. No wonder the king crab is the most famous commercial crustacean in the world.
Be careful, poachers!
King crabs originality and high demandon them by consumers provoked illegal capture of these animals. Poachers are not asleep: in the domestic market there are many crabs of dubious quality. This is poaching products.
Mostly, illegal crab comes to us fromThe 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 God alone knows what quality such a king crab is.
The price of the meat of these animals corresponds to itsquality. For example, a kilo of a Kamchatka crab knee will cost about 1,300 rubles, and a kilogram of the second phalanx will cost about 1,700 rubles. For a whole crab, say, weighing 5 kg, you will have to pay about 10,000 rubles. Here is such an expensive pleasure! And it is not by chance.
As mentioned above, Kamchatka crab meat -It is an indispensable source of all the necessary for our body trace elements, vitamins and, of course, minerals. Doctors recommend eating as many dishes as possible prepared from this animal. This contributes to improving visual acuity, improving the condition of the body in cardiovascular diseases and anemia.
