King Crab Invasion

由于发现频道的热门«最致命的赛车»电视剧，红王蟹在全球众所周知。本土对北太平洋，这位装甲庞然大物已入侵挪威水域，被认为是危险的外星物种。

Thered king crabis one of the world’s largest crustaceans, sporting a “wingspan” of up to 1.8 meters (6 ft). After being released by Russian scientists in the waters off Murmansk in the 1960s,this monster has invaded the Norwegian arctic coast.

当几次尝试通过火车和卡车运输活螃蟹，从Kamtchatka半岛一直到 - 因此拉丁名称Paraliteode Camtschatica.- in the north Pacific failed, the crabs eventually had to be flown in.

The aim was to create a viable crab population for commercial fisheries. It is safe to say that they succeeded - the crab population has exploded since and is counted in millions in the Barents Sea.

对新环境的影响

The king crab quickly took to its new environment, but had no sense of home and started to migrate to the west. In the mid 70s, the first crabs were caught in Norwegian waters, and 20 years later, their numbers had risen to a point where commercial fishing could begin.

环境问题也很快提出 - 王蟹展示了一个不健康的食欲。漫游大量漫游，国王螃蟹几乎吞噬了它来到海胆，贻贝，鱼卵，鬃毛蠕虫甚至海带。凭借一些掠夺者，只留下了一个贫瘠的景观。

On The Move

By the mid 90‘s the king crabs reached North Cape, Norway’s northernmost point, and continued further west. Research made public by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR) this month shows that the crabs have established themselves outside Sørøya, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) south-west of the cape.

今年早些时候开展的研究任务揭示了该地区较小的螃蟹，表明螃蟹一直在繁殖。

虽然在过去的几年里，一些标本已经被南方被捕获到Tromsø，但这个领域仍有很少的螃蟹，而且IMR说这表明渔业正在保持螃蟹人口检查。

没有天然障碍

尽管温度范围，盐度和分布是王蟹的原生太平洋栖息地，但这些只是适用于挪威水域时的迹象。IMR说，今天似乎没有自然障碍停止王蟹的迁移，甚至在南方。

科学家和环保主义者担心螃蟹在某些时候可能会达到索拉·达西南400公里（270英里）的洛菲特（270英里） - 距离最南端的螃蟹观测等250公里（160英里）的重要鳕鱼养殖场。如果国王螃蟹达到这一领域，它可能对挪威最重要的收入来源的鳕鱼渔业产生灾难性的影响。

Interesting Behavior

Although a menace, the king crab is a very interesting creature. Diving with hundreds of these large, relatively docile crustaceans is a spectacular experience, especially during mating season in March-April.

The crabs have to come up into shallow water, and the Finnmark coast is teeming with them at this time. At other times of the year, they may be found as deep as 4-500 meters (13-1600 ft). In the typical crustacean manner, the males will grab hold of the smaller female when molting time draws close.

At other times the hard, spiky carapace prevents any kind of marital activity, and the eggs of the female can only pass through the ovaries when it is soft. The female spawns up to half a million eggs, which are immediately fertilized by the male.

美味的怪物

East of the North Cape, the crabs are protected and can only be fished according to strict quotas. Further west - west of the North Cape - anyone can catch crab any way they like, in accordance with the IMR’s wish to limit the crabs spreading west and south. This means that divers are also allowed to hunt for crab.

King Crab被认为是一个真正的款待，新鲜的螃蟹飞往世界各地的美食厨房。每磅价格可能达到130美元或以上 - 但环境价格可能被证明明显更高。

Further Reading

Other Articles by Christian Skauge

Overview of Diving in Norway

潜水店目录在挪威1zplay

挪威潜水网站目录1zplay

Diving in Norway - The Land of Stunning Fjords, Cold Water & Giant Crabs