Royal crab: description, breeding, price

From a zoological point of view, crabs are the samecrayfish, only short-tailed. Their small head is hidden in a special groove under the edge of the shell. According to the shape of their body, all the crabs differ sharply from the rest of their crustacean relatives. The fact is that in adult individuals the abdomen is shortened and bent downward, and if you look at this creation from above, you can only notice its rounded cephalothorax. Like all other representatives of the fauna world, these creatures have their own hierarchy, which is headed by the so-called royal crab.

King among crabs

The second name of the royal crab is Kamchatka. This is one of the largest crustaceans living in the water bodies of the Far East. Tasty, tender and nutritious meat made the Kamchatka crab an object of constant fishing, including illegal fishing. 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 a massive and powerfulcrustacean 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 sticks are located on the first pair of walking legs, with the right claw slightly larger and stronger than the left. It is necessary for the animal to break the shells of the mussels, to destroy the shells of sea urchins, etc. The left claw is needed for it to crush the food. By the way, this crab feeds exclusively with the help of its left claw.

Where does the royal crab live?

The habitat of this creature is very large andvarious. Kamchatka crab can be found in the Okhotsk, Japan and Bering seas. Scientists who observed the vital activity of these crustaceans, came to the conclusion that their greatest concentration is concentrated near the western coast of Kamchatka. It is there that from year to year the main crab fishery takes place.

Reproduction of Kamchatka crabs

Royal crab (photo is presented in the article)reaches sexual maturity by 8-10 years, 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. Winter cold they go underwater at a depth of 250 m, spending almost all winter there. With the onset of spring crabs return to their native coast for molting and subsequent reproduction. When autumn comes, they again go to the depths. And so constantly.

It is estimated that one female king crabis able to postpone up to 300 thousand eggs during the breeding season! Like all crayfish crabs, 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 the temperature of the water. From the places of their permanent wintering, they move to the shores with whole jambs: during this period hundreds of thousands of long-legged royal crabs move along the bottom of the sea. Of course, the spectacle is amazing!

It should be noted that during this period the females carrythemselves already almost formed larvae. On the way to the treasured shallows, the latter hatch from their eggs and proceed to independent swimming in the water column. Their mothers, meanwhile, continue their journey. Unfortunately, many larvae do not live to their "majority", because they are the favorite prey of various marine animals.

In general, Kamchatka crabs are slow growingcreatures, while the temperature of water is of decisive importance here. For example, in the warm waters of the American coasts they grow and develop twice as fast.

Kamchatka crab is a valuable target

The natural life expectancy of Kamchatkacrabs - 20 years, but many of them do not live so much. And all because of the constant hunting for them from the side of man: the royal 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. The females usually are not caught.

Crab claws are an exquisite delicacy. Especially valuable and tasty is his right claw, in which the most tender and nutritious meat is concentrated. By the way, the meat of this crab is rich in all necessary vitamins, amino acids and minerals: zinc, protein, iodine and other substances render our body invaluable. The shells and insides of these creatures are processed into a useful fertilizer.

These amazing creatures have long beenhave established themselves as a delicacy marine product, which is the main type of crabs in the domestic market. No wonder the royal crab is the most famous commercial crustacean in the world.

Beware, poachers!

Uncommon royal crabs and high demandon them from the side of consumers provoked illegal catching of these animals. Poachers do not slumber: there are a lot of crabs of dubious quality on the domestic market. This is poaching.

In general, crabs "illegal" come to us fromBarents 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 mass exported to Japan. Employees of Rospotrebnadzor do not recommend eating such products, because one god knows what quality such a royal crab.

The price of meat of these animals corresponds to itsquality. For example, a kilogram of a king crab tribe will cost about 1300 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. That's such an expensive treat! And it's not accidental.

As already mentioned above, the meat of the king crab -it is an indispensable source of all necessary microelements, vitamins and, of course, minerals. Doctors recommend eating as many dishes as possible cooked from this animal. This helps to increase visual acuity, improve the body's state in cardiovascular diseases and anemia.