King Crab and Snow Crab in Norway

Two species of crabs that is not native to Norwegian waters has become big business.
The King Crab, or Kamchatka Crab, has even become a tourist attraction:

It is caught commercially in the waters off Finnmark and Troms County and has reached as far south along the coast as Lofoten Islands.
They have also spread northwards and is likely to reach Svalbard by 2030:

King crabs are not only a problem. They have also made some people in Finnmark very rich:

But the really big money maker is the Snow Crab:

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Norwegian Snow crabbing boat Polar Pioneer leaving Tromsø for the Barents Sea:


Photo: Asimut

Newly converted snowcrabbing boat Vima passing Müløy on her way north to start the season in Jan. 2022:


Photo: Ivar Strømmen

Vima in Ålesund after the season, 12 June 2022:

Whats caused the appearance of these crabs?

They were fleeing the “Deadliest Catch” crews of the Bering Sea.

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It is all explained in the video and attachment in the OP.

Fine, then I summarize it;
The King Crabs was brought to Murmanskfjord in the 1960s and walked from there
The Snow Crabs like cold water and moved north due to global warming.

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Why a mystery?? To Norway of course.

Source:

Today’s smp.no has a story about crabbing in Alaska with reference to an article from 1977:


The crew of the boat “Olympic” of Seattle during king crab fishing in the Bering Sea October 1977: From left; Gunnar Tjøsvoll, Karmøy, Jeff Hansen, skipper Jon Sjong, Sykkylven, Barry Johnson and Kim Hansen. PHOTO: KNUT ENSTAD

Obituary for John Sjong RIP:

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Live Snow Crabs from Murmansk to Moscow by road and on to S.E.Asia by air:

PS> If you have to ask the price when they get to the table at a fine dining restaurant in Bangkok or Singapore you can’t afford them anyhow.

Since the snow crab season is time limited it is important to be able to combine this with other activity the rest of the year. What is more logical than a combined crab catcher and prawn trawler
This newly ordered vessel will do just that:

Note: English text below the Norwegian article.

Thanks for posting this. I knew John years ago.