Golden king crab facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lithodes aequispinus |
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Lithodes
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L. aequispinus
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| Lithodes aequispinus (Benedict J. E., 1895)
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The golden king crab, also called the brown king crab, is a type of king crab. It lives in the North Pacific. You can find these crabs mostly around the Aleutian Islands and near Alaska and British Columbia. They also live in the Russian Far East and Japan, but there are fewer of them there.
Golden king crabs are the smallest of the three main types of Alaskan king crabs that people fish for. They usually weigh between 5 and 8 pounds (2.3 to 3.6 kg). The other two types are the blue and red king crabs. People used to catch golden king crabs by accident while fishing for red king crabs. The first time they were caught on purpose for sale was in 1975. Later, in 1981, a special way of fishing for them using pots was created.
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What is a Golden King Crab?
The golden king crab is a crustacean that lives in the North Pacific. It is a decapod, which means it has ten legs. These crabs have five pairs of legs. The front pair has their claws.
Golden king crabs get their name from their shells. Their shells are usually an orange-brown or golden color. The shells are mostly made of calcium. Like other king crabs, golden king crabs are large and have long, spiny legs. However, they are much smaller than blue and red king crabs. Their legs are also thinner.
A special part of the golden king crab is its carapace, which is its upper shell. It usually has five to nine spines in the middle of its back. Compared to other Alaskan king crabs, golden king crabs generally have less meat inside their bodies for their size. They also have a fan-shaped tail flap. This flap is on the back and underside of their bodies. Adult female crabs use this flap to hold their eggs.
Where Golden King Crabs Live
Golden king crabs mainly live around the Aleutian Islands. They are also found in the waters near southern Alaska and British Columbia. You can find some in the Russian Far East and Japan too, but not as many.
Large groups of golden king crabs in Alaska live near the Pribilof Islands and Shumagin Islands. They are also found in the Shelikof Strait, Prince William Sound, and the lower Chatham Strait in Southeastern Alaska.
These crabs usually live in deep waters, from about 300 to 1000 meters (about 980 to 3,280 feet) deep. They do not like flat, sandy areas. Instead, they prefer rocky places with slopes. They often use large rocks or other living things like coral or sponges for their habitat.
Adult golden king crabs move between deep and shallow waters each year. In late winter, they travel to shallower waters to molt their shells and mate. After that, they go back to deeper waters. They spend most of the year feeding and living in these deeper areas. Golden king crabs often live in deeper waters than red king crabs. They are the most common type of crab in their living areas.
Reproduction and Lifecycle
Female golden king crabs have a special cycle that lasts about 20 months. During this time, they carry about 10,000 to 30,000 eggs. They keep these eggs under their fan-shaped tail flaps for about a year. Golden king crabs have the largest eggs among the three main types of king crabs that are fished.
When the eggs hatch, tiny crab larvae swim out. These larvae are weak and can be carried by underwater currents. As they grow into adult crabs, they change their bodies many times by molting. Eventually, the young crabs settle on the ocean floor. They usually live in waters that are at least 300 feet deep.
Golden king crabs are called juveniles for their first few years. They become adults when they are about 4 to 5 years old. Golden king crabs molt their shells throughout their entire lives. Young crabs molt more often than adult crabs. Female crabs molt more often than males because they need to reproduce. Male crabs can keep their shells for one to two years at a time.
Every year, adult golden king crabs make a "deep and back" journey. Male and female crabs go to shallow water in late winter and early spring. Here, they shed their old shells and mate. When the baby crabs hatch in late spring, the adults move back to deeper waters to feed. In these deeper areas, golden king crabs are usually not found with crabs of the opposite sex. They are also not usually found with red or blue king crabs.
Golden king crabs eat many different things. Their diet includes worms, clams, mussels, snails, and sea stars. They also eat urchins, sand dollars, barnacles, algae, sponges, and even other crabs and crustaceans. Many crabs have a strong sense of smell. Golden king crabs use this to find their food.
Other animals also eat golden king crabs. These include fish like Pacific cod, halibut, and yellowfin sole. Sea otters also prey on them. Tiny worms called Nemertean worms have been found eating the eggs of golden king crabs.
Fishing for Golden King Crabs
Golden king crabs are not as popular as blue or red king crabs because they are smaller. However, people fish for them a lot in Alaska. The Aleutian Islands are a very important fishing area for them. Many people say that golden king crabs taste similar to other king crabs. They are often described as milder and sweeter.
To keep enough golden king crabs in Alaska, there are rules for fishing. Crab fishermen can only catch male crabs. These males must be at least 7 centimeters (about 2.7 inches) wide across their top shell. Fishing is also not allowed during the times when crabs are mating or molting.
The amount of golden king crabs that can be caught each year is called the quota. In 2015, experts started doing more surveys to count the number of golden king crabs. This helped them understand the crab population better. In August 2018, the fishing quotas for golden king crabs went up for the first time in 20 years. This meant that fishermen could catch more crabs. For example, they could take 3.9 million pounds of golden king crab east of Adak island. They could also take 2.5 million pounds west of Adak. These were increases of 18% and 11%.
In the next fishing season, starting in August 2019, the quotas went up again. Fishermen could take 4.3 million pounds east of Atka island and 2.9 million pounds west of Atka. These were increases of 12% and 15% from the year before. The 2019 season was the second time a new way of counting crab populations was used. This new method helps to figure out the number of crabs more carefully. It is a special method used just for golden king crabs.
