Alaskan Red King Crab Overnight Delivery By Fedex

Alaskan Red King Crab

Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) is a large species of crab native to the North Pacific Ocean, known for its sweet, savory meat and being one of the most commercially valuable crabs in the world. It can grow up to five feet in leg span, has a reddish-brown shell when alive and becomes bright red when cooked, and is highly sought after in the seafood market.

Physical characteristics

Size: They are the largest commercially harvested crabs, with adults reaching a leg span of up to 5.9 feet. Color: They have a brownish to bluish-red carapace (shell) when alive, which turns bright red when cooked. Legs: They have three pairs of walking legs and one pair of claws. The fifth pair of legs is small and tucked underneath the body and is used for mating and caring for eggs. Abdomen: The fan-shaped abdomen is tucked underneath the rear of the shell. Males have a narrow abdominal flap, while females have a wide one.

Habitat & Behavior

Habitat: Red king crabs live in cold waters in the North Pacific Ocean, from the surface to depths of 1,300 feet. Diet: They are omnivores and scour the seafloor for food, which includes other crabs, sea stars, and dead animals. Reproduction: Females brood fertilized eggs under their abdomen for up to a year. They migrate to shallower waters in the winter to mate and for the eggs to hatch.

Culinary aspects

Flavor: The meat is known for being sweet, savory, and tender. Preparation: It can be prepared in many ways, including stir-frying, baking, grilling, boiling, or steaming, and is often served with butter. Nutritional value: It is a healthy source of lean protein.

Fishery and management

Value: It is one of the most valuable and sought-after species in the crab fishery. Harvesting: The fishery is generally well-managed and uses traps to minimize environmental impact.

Description

The red king crab is the largest species of king crab. Red king crabs can reach a carapace width up to 28 cm (11 in), a leg span of 1.8 m (5.9 ft), and a weight of 12.7 kg (28 lb). Males grow larger than females. Today, red king crabs infrequently surpass 17 cm (7 in) in carapace width and the average male landed in the Bering Sea weighs 2.9 kg (6.4 lb). It was named after the color it turns when it is cooked rather than the color of a living animal, which tends to be more burgundy.

Distribution

The red king crab is native to cold waters in the North Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas, ranging from the Bering Sea south to the Gulf of Alaska, off the Kamchatka Peninsula, and in the Sea of Okhotsk and Sea of Japan. It was introduced artificially by the Soviet Union into the Murmansk Fjord, Barents Sea, during the 1960s to provide a new, and valuable, catch in Europe.

Red king crab have been seen in water temperatures that range from 1.8 to 12.8 celcius(28.8-55.0 fahrenheit), with typical being 3.2 to 5.5 celcius (37.8-41.9 fahrenheit). Immatures prefer temperatures below 6 celcius (43 fahrenheit). The depth at which it can live has much to do with what stage of its lifecycle it is in; newly hatched crab (zoea larvae) stay in the shallower waters where food and protection are plentiful. Usually, after the age of two, the crabs move down to depths of 20-50 m (66-164 ft) and take part in what is known as podding; hundreds of crabs come together in tight, highly concentrated groups. Adult crabs are found usually more than 200 metres (656 ft) down on the sand and muddy areas in the substrate. They migrate in the winter or early spring to shallower depths for mating, but most of their lives are spent in the deep waters where they feed.

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