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What types of king crab are there? Alaskan King Crab have a natural range in the Bering Sea, between St. Lawrence and Aleutian Islands. Each crab has eight king crab legs and two claws, with one of the claws being significantly larger than the other. Only six of the king crab legs are sold or have any commercial use, with the back two legs being very small. Those two smaller legs tucked underneath the rear of the crab and are used by both male and female crabs for the fertilization process. The large claw is called the dominant claw and the smaller is called the lesser claw. Red King Crab makes up over 90% of the annual king crab harvest, with Brown/Golden King Crab and Blue King Crab being the other types in Alaska.
Did you know there is a false king crab? Centolla Crab, also known as Antarctic King Crab, is harvested in South America, the crab is much smaller and does not taste as good. This crab cannot be labelled as king crab in the United States; however, its known names outside of the United States are Antarctic, South American, Southern or Chilean King Crab. Southern King Crab is caught in Peru, Chile and Argentina. These Antarctic crab live on the Antarctic Continental Shelf, where the shallow water is divided by the deeper water. These crabs live at approximately 500 ft deep. In addition to being smaller and less flavorful, the crab are extremely spiny.
When are king crab caught? The Alaskan King Crab season extends during the fall/winter months. King crab can live in depths of up to 600 ft but typically move to shallower depths during mating season. Only males are harvested and have to meet minimum size requirements throughout the season in order to be kept. There is about 90 boats in the Alaskan King Crab fishing fleet and each vessel is given a IFQ (individual fishing quota) based upon how much crab the vessel had caught the previous year. The quota system was created around 2005, in hopes to increase the value of Alaskan King Crab and make the crab fishing industry safer. The theory was if vessels knew ahead of time how much crab they were allocated, there would be less of a rush to push themselves, making it safer for everyone.
Photo Courtesy of Alaska Seafood
How are king crab caught? King crab are caught using large pots pulled up on a hydrolic or winch type system. Each pot is very heavy weighing in around 700 lbs. The pots are baited with dead fish, typically cod or herring, and are marked with a buoy. The pots are then dropped to the bottom. The pots are typically soaked for 24-48 hours before being retrieved; this allows time for the crab to smell the bait, find the pots, and enter the trap to be caught. If the pots are plentiful when pulled up, they will typically be rebaited and dropped again. If not, the captain will select another spot to drop his traps. With the pots being pulled from a depth of up to 600ft and weighing around 700 lbs, combined with turbulent seas and inclement weather, its no wonder why king crab fishing is so dangerous and why king crab is considered to be the king of Alaskan seafood.
What sizes of king crab does Great-Alaska-Seafood.com have?
Super Colossal King Crab Legs® range in size from 9/10 lb - 1.25 lbs per leg. Colossal King Crab Legs® range in size from 2/3 lb - 9/10 lb per leg. Captains select king crab ranges from 1/2 lb - 2/3 lb per leg. Giant king crab legs ranges from 1/3 - 1/2 per leg. Merus Cuts are the rich, sweet tenderloin of the king crab and typically weigh around 4-6 ounces each. We also sell Dominant King Crab Claws which average 1/2 lb per claw, king crab pieces and crab cakes. If King Crab is going to be the main entree, we recommend getting 1-2 lbs per person.
Photo Courtesy of Alaska Seafood
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