The red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in the Barents Sea: Soviet introduction, population expansion and the emergence of the Norwegian fishery
Description
The red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) was deliberately transferred from the North Pacific to the Barents Sea by Soviet scientists between 1961 and 1969, with the aim of creating a new commercial resource. This narrative review synthesises openly available peer-reviewed literature, reports of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (HI), Norwegian parliamentary and ministry documents and international assessments to trace the species from introduction to managed fishery. Releases of larvae, juveniles and adults into the Kola (Murmansk) Fjord area led to a reproducing population within about a decade; the crab was first recorded in Norwegian waters in the second half of the 1970s, became abundant in Varangerfjord in the early 1990s and has since spread westwards along the Finnmark coast to around Tromsø. A joint Norwegian–Russian research fishery began in 1994, Norway opened a commercial fishery in 2002 and Russia in 2004, and from 2007 each country has managed its own part of the stock. Norway has since 2008 run a dual regime: a quota-regulated fishery east of 26°E and an open fishery to the west intended to slow spread. HI assessments show a generally declining trend in the harvestable stock since the early 2000s with marked year-to-year swings, reflected in male quotas ranging from 900 to 2,275 tonnes between 2009 and 2025. The review discusses the crab's dual status as a valuable resource and an invasive species with documented effects on benthic communities, and identifies gaps in ecosystem quantification, Norwegian–Russian assessment coherence and socio-economic evaluation.
Files. English version: 01-king-crab-introduction_en.pdf. Russian version (full translation, identical reference list): 01-king-crab-introduction_ru.pdf.
Series. Crab Fisheries Review Series, No. 01 — narrative reviews of the Barents Sea crab fisheries and fisheries employment written by a practitioner with more than ten seasons on Norwegian fishing vessels.
Author. Renat Besolov — independent researcher; founder of BFISHERMAN. Website: https://rbesolov.com/en/
Abstract (Russian)
Камчатский краб (Paralithodes camtschaticus) был целенаправленно перевезён из северной части Тихого океана в Баренцево море советскими учёными в 1961–1969 гг. с целью создания нового промыслового ресурса. В настоящем обзоре обобщены открытые рецензируемые публикации, отчёты Института морских исследований Норвегии (HI), документы норвежского парламента и министерства, а также международные оценки, позволяющие проследить путь вида от вселения до регулируемого промысла. Выпуск личинок, молоди и взрослых особей в районе Кольского залива привёл к формированию самовоспроизводящейся популяции примерно через десять лет; в норвежских водах краб впервые отмечен во второй половине 1970-х гг., в начале 1990-х гг. стал массовым в Варангер-фьорде и с тех пор распространился на запад вдоль побережья Финнмарка примерно до Тромсё. Совместный российско-норвежский научно-исследовательский промысел начался в 1994 г., коммерческий промысел открыт в Норвегии в 2002 г., в России — в 2004 г.; с 2007 г. каждая страна управляет своей частью запаса самостоятельно. С 2008 г. Норвегия применяет двойной режим: квотируемый промысел восточнее 26° в. д. и свободный промысел западнее этой линии, призванный сдерживать расселение. Оценки HI указывают на общую тенденцию к снижению промыслового запаса с начала 2000-х гг. при значительных межгодовых колебаниях; квоты на самцов в 2009–2025 гг. составляли от 900 до 2275 т. В обзоре рассматривается двойственный статус краба как ценного ресурса и инвазивного вида с задокументированным воздействием на бентос, а также пробелы в знаниях об экосистемных эффектах, согласованности норвежских и российских оценок и социально-экономических последствиях.
Сайт автора: https://rbesolov.com/
Series information
Crab Fisheries Review Series, No. 01Files
01-king-crab-introduction_en.pdf
Additional details
Additional titles
- Translated title (Russian)
- Камчатский краб (Paralithodes camtschaticus) в Баренцевом море: советская интродукция, расширение ареала и становление норвежского промысла
References
- Bosworth, A. (2025, November 24). Norwegian scientists recommend 44 per cent cut to 2026 king crab quota. Baird Maritime. https://www.bairdmaritime.com/fishing/regulation-enforcement/norwegian-scientists-recommend-44-per-cent-cut-to-2026-king-crab-quota
- Dvoretsky, A. G., & Dvoretsky, V. G. (2018). Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) fisheries in Russian waters: Historical review and present status. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 28(2), 331–353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-017-9510-1
- Dvoretsky, V. G., & Dvoretsky, A. G. (2022). Ecology and distribution of red king crab larvae in the Barents Sea: A review. Water, 14(15), 2328. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14152328
- Falk-Petersen, J., Renaud, P., & Anisimova, N. (2011). Establishment and ecosystem effects of the alien invasive red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in the Barents Sea – a review. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68(3), 479–488. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsq192
- FishSource. (n.d.). Red king crab – Barents Sea [Stock profile]. Sustainable Fisheries Partnership. Retrieved October 2026, from https://www.fishsource.org/stock_page/1115
- Fiskerforum. (2016, November 5). IMR recommends 1500 tonne crab quota. https://fiskerforum.com/imr-recommends-1500-tonne-crab-quota/
- Havforskningsinstituttet. (n.d.). Kongekrabbe [Species page]. Retrieved October 2026, from https://www.hi.no/hi/temasider/arter/kongekrabbe
- Havforskningsinstituttet. (2024). Kongekrabbe i norsk sone: Status og rådgivning for 2025. https://kudos.dfo.no/documents/201819/files/43098.pdf
- Hjelset, A. M., Jenssen, M., Schuster, E., Olsen, S. A., Larsen, M., Olssøn, R., Fuhrmann, M. M., Johannesen, R., & Strømme, R. (2024). Bestandskartlegging av kongekrabbe i kvoteregulert område – 2023: Toktrapport fra tokt med F/F Kristine Bonnevie 04.–28. september 2023 (Toktrapport 2024-13). Havforskningsinstituttet. https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3133520
- Hjelset, A. M., Nilssen, E. M., & Sundet, J. H. (2012). Reduced size composition and fecundity related to fishery and invasion history in the introduced red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in Norwegian waters. Fisheries Research, 121–122, 73–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2012.01.010
- Hvingel, C., Hjelset, A. M., Fuhrmann, M. M., Jenssen, M., & Zimmermann, F. (2023a). Bestandsvurdering av kongekrabbe 2023 og råd for 2024 (Rapport fra havforskningen 2023-49). Havforskningsinstituttet. https://www.hi.no/hi/nettrapporter/rapport-fra-havforskningen-2023-49
- Hvingel, C., Hjelset, A. M., Fuhrmann, M. M., Jenssen, M., & Zimmermann, F. (2023b). Råd om fiske på kongekrabbe i 2024 (Rapport fra havforskningen 2023-50). Havforskningsinstituttet. https://www.hi.no/hi/nettrapporter/rapport-fra-havforskningen-2023-50
- ICES. (2005). The intentional introduction of the marine red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus into the Southern Barents Sea (L. L. Jørgensen, I. Manushin, J. H. Sundet, & S.-R. Birkely, Authors; ICES Cooperative Research Report No. 277). International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. https://ices-library.figshare.com/articles/report/The_intentional_introduction_of_the_marine_red_king_crab_Paralithodes_camtschaticus_into_the_Southern_Barents_Sea/18624251
- Innst. S. nr. 143 (2007–2008). (2008). Innstilling fra næringskomiteen om forvaltning av kongekrabbe [Recommendation on St.meld. nr. 40 (2006–2007)]. Stortinget. https://www.stortinget.no/globalassets/pdf/innstillinger/stortinget/2007-2008/inns-200708-143.pdf
- Jørgensen, L. L., & Nilssen, E. M. (2011). The invasive history, impact and management of the red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus off the coast of Norway. In B. S. Galil, P. F. Clark, & J. T. Carlton (Eds.), In the wrong place – Alien marine crustaceans: Distribution, biology and impacts (pp. 521–536). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0591-3_18
- Kourantidou, M., & Kaiser, B. A. (2021). Allocation of research resources for commercially valuable invasions: Norway's red king crab fishery. Fisheries Research, 237, 105871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2020.105871
- Miljødirektoratet. (2022). Forslag til indeks for vurdering av kongekrabbens påvirkning på bunndyrsamfunn. https://www.miljodirektoratet.no/publikasjoner/2022/juni/forslag-til-indeks-for-vurdering-av-kongekrabbens-pavirkning-pa-bunndyrsamfunn
- Nærings- og fiskeridepartementet. (2023, December 20). Fangst av kongekrabbe i 2024 [Press release]. Regjeringen.no. https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/fangst-av-kongekrabbe-i-2024/id3019722/
- Nærings- og fiskeridepartementet. (2024, December 17). Fangst av kongekrabbe i 2025 [Press release]. Regjeringen.no. https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/fangst-av-kongekrabbe-i-2025/id3079702/
- Orlov, Y. I., & Ivanov, B. G. (1978). On the introduction of the Kamchatka king crab Paralithodes camtschatica (Decapoda: Anomura: Lithodidae) into the Barents Sea. Marine Biology, 48, 373–375. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391642
- OSPAR Commission. (2010). Quality Status Report 2010: ICES overview assessment of non-indigenous species in the OSPAR maritime area – Red king crab case study (Supplement 2 to assessment 1.5.5.2). https://qsr2010.ospar.org/media/assessments/1.5.5.2_supplements/1.5.5.2_suppl_2_Red_king_crab_case_study.pdf
- Oug, E., Cochrane, S. K. J., Sundet, J. H., Norling, K., & Nilsson, H. C. (2011). Effects of the invasive red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) on soft-bottom fauna in Varangerfjorden, northern Norway. Marine Biodiversity, 41(3), 467–479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-010-0068-6
- Oug, E., Sundet, J. H., & Cochrane, S. K. J. (2018). Structural and functional changes of soft-bottom ecosystems in northern fjords invaded by the red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus). Journal of Marine Systems, 180, 255–264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2017.07.005
- Sandorf, E. D., Aanesen, M., Falk-Andersson, J., Furuseth, I. S., Hanley, N., Kaiser, B. A., Kourantidou, M., Navrud, S., Vondolia, G. K., & Xuan, B. B. (2025). Exploring information and embedding effects on willingness-to-pay to control the invasive red king crab in Norway. Environmental and Resource Economics, 88(9), 2529–2556. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-025-01022-9
- Skonhoft, A., & Kourantidou, M. (2021). Managing a natural asset that is both a value and a nuisance: Competition versus cooperation for the Barents Sea red king crab. Marine Resource Economics, 36(3), 229–254. https://doi.org/10.1086/714416
- Sundet, J. H. (2014). The red king crab (Paralithodes camschaticus) in the Barents Sea. In L. Fernandez et al. (Eds.), Marine invasive species in the Arctic (TemaNord 547, pp. 71–82). Nordic Council of Ministers. https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/272394.pdf
- Sundet, J. H., & Hoel, A. H. (2016). The Norwegian management of an introduced species: The Arctic red king crab fishery. Marine Policy, 72, 278–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.04.041
- We Are Aquaculture. (2024, November 4). More Norwegian king crab in 2025. https://weareaquaculture.com/amp/story/news/fisheries/more-norwegian-king-crab-in-2025
- Windsland, K., Hvingel, C., Nilssen, E. M., & Sundet, J. H. (2014). Dispersal of the introduced red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in Norwegian waters: A tag-recapture study. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 71(7), 1966–1976. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fst241
- Xuan, B. B., Armstrong, C. W., Kourantidou, M., Vondolia, G. K., Ngoc, Q. T. K., & Kaiser, B. A. (2026). Economic management of an invasion: The case of the red king crab in Norway. Marine Resource Economics, 41(3), 147–167. https://doi.org/10.1086/740802