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Millions of King Crabs Turn Sea to Desert
Reporter writes "Russian biologist, Yuri Illarionovich Orlov, succeeded where Stalin failed by implanting the red king crabs into the Barents Sea. Except now, 40 years later, he's getting worried. Why? The giant crabs are clawing their way along the bottom of the Barents Sea are spreading like wildfire along the northern coasts of Russia and Norway and will continue to spread as far as Gibraltar, the southern tip of the European continent. How come? One female crab can lay 500,000 eggs at a time, of which one or two percent will become crabs. The kicker is that the species is protected by diplomatic accords between Norway and Russia, so fishing quotas are in place.
From the article: "The Kamchatka crab, also known as the Alaskan or red king crab, was introduced into the Barents by the Soviets in the 1960s — some 30 years after a first, failed attempt by Stalin — in a bid to bolster Russia's food supplies. ... The crabs weigh up to 12 kilograms (26 pounds) and measure up to two meters (6.5 feet) from pincher to pincher. While they remain far from Europe's tourist beaches for the time being, their impact on the environment is already a major cause for concern in the Arctic"."
And it involves lot of butter ...
I know that it is controversial with some dieticians, but I have had great success in keeping off the weight with the low-crab diet.
Russia has a raging case of crabs!
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
They should take a cue from Ancient Japan and flip them over and attack its weak point for MASSIVE DAMAGE.
I guess the guy was selling them weapons to kill all the sealife!
Yuri Orlov is the guy from Lord Of War
-- Sig: What sig? Oh, you mean this one? Nah...
In Soviet Russia, crabs get you.
Obama likes poor people so much, he wants to make more of them.
Research already showed that those guys are quite temperature-sensitive. It is rather unlikely that they will be able to leave the artic water and reach as far as Gibraltar.
But what happens if the radiation forces a jump in evolution and they evolve into crabzilla or *shudder* politicians?
Fighting over religion is like seeing whose imaginary friend is best.
Nah, they just need a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on crab meat.
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
Despite the fact it is suggested in jest above, the best solution to most pest problems normally IS a culinary one. These crabs are definately edible, crab is considered somewhat of a delicacy to many (personally, I'm not a fan, but there are loads who love it), so all you need is to agree to remove quoats on this particular animal, or some similar arrangement, between Norway and Russia (the most challenging part) and start to push crab meat as a new big seller in the area.
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New Scientist have an article on the subject of eating through invading species, although you'll need a subscription to read it: http://www.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg18725
Only according to someone who catches fish, not someone with any kind of credibility. I think you need some double-quotes in there:
Millions of King Crabs "Turn Sea to Desert"
The crabs weigh up to 12 kilograms (26 pounds) and measure up to two meters (6.5 feet) from pincher to pincher.
-and this increases every time the story is told.
sudo ergo sum
It doesn't matter so much. For various reasons, including elevated water temperatures, fish stocks are gone from the sea quite far north. The crabs have been encroaching on the regions containing the last commericial stocks. Even Bergen and Trondheim, which were once great fishing ports, are dead and tropic species are occasionally sighted in the waters.
With the quotas preventing the harvesting of the crabs, they are spreading more widely and more rapidly at an accelerating pace. Eventually the population will level off, but not before the last of the fish stock is ruined. The crabs pretty much wipe all organic matter from the bottom, especially tasty fish eggs. Without the eggs, there are no new fish. Without the fish, no fishing. Without the fishing, there will be no monied interests hindering oil drilling in the Barents.
The Norwegians are in a hard place because of the oil and their ties to the petro dollar. They also can't risk pissing of the last western military power, Russia, over the oil either. They will eventually lose that game, unless they deal with the crabs. Open season and no catch limits on the crabs would give several enviromental and economic boosts to the region. They're quite good eating and can be sold for food, decimating them would help the fishing, but the crabs are just as good as materials for biofuels.
Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
The rabbits that were introduced in to Australia have been an environmental nightmare.
In certain conditions they populate so quickly you'll end up with a plague. The munch on all available grass and low level plants. Just leaving sand and soil behind. This valuable topsoil then gets blown away by wind or the occasional storm. Their burrows collapse and cause further run off problems after storms. Much of Australia doesn't have huge trees to bind the soil together. That's just one aspect.
It only took a few rabbits too. Released just near Melbourne. Now they're all over the place.
Mice (at times), Cane toads, Crown of Thorns starfish are all big problems. Foxes are a concern, but not on the same scale, or is that Tassie only? Domestic and stray cats are just as bit a problem in outer suburban/semi-rural areas, going after the native birds and small animals.
All systems will find an equilibrium. Trouble is, that (nearly) isolated systems such as Australia don't have the natrual competitors for introduced species. They would form over time, just not in the short term that we live in and see. Foxes were introduced to try and get the rabbits, Cane Toads to get the Prickly Pear. They just caused thier own problems.
Q:I was listening to a CD in Grip and it sounded horrible! What's up? A:Perhaps you are listening to country music
Today's secret ingredient is: *dramatic pause* *dramatic pose* CRAB INFESTATION!
It was a joke! When you give me that look it was a joke.
Would that violate UN sanctions against the use of Weapons for Mass Crustaceans (WMCs)?
Oh, you meant the *other* PETA. People for Eating Tasty Animals are a happier lot.
Jesus. We want to wipe out the crabs, not the Russians and Norwegians.
For those who don't get the reference:
Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse?
Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.
"...today consumers have been conditioned to think of beer when they see a bullfrog..."
Lower the quotas, bring in a Red Lobster chain in Russia and Norway and problem solved. I hope.
Which shows the inevitable logic of environmental degredation, in which, like the old woman who swallowed a fly, every solution is a problem in its own right.
To wit:
(1) Introduce massive crabs to artic as food source.
(2) Get overrun by crabs, and introduce an American food chain to, in effect, predate on them.
(3) Demand for butter soars, bringing into the market additional dairy farm capabilities (which have environmental impacts in their own right).
(4) Increase in butterfat consumption results in a raging epidemic of obesity.
(5) Obesity epidemic leads to SUVs, lowered capacity on transportation like planes
(6) Larger, lower capacity vehicles cause energy consumption to soar.
(7) Rising energy prices lead to increased exploitation of arctic energy reserves.
(8) Environmental impact from petroleum extraction finally solves the King Crab problem, but you're still left with a fat, butter scarfing populace.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
No nutria. Just beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and seafood.
I get hungry when I visit the zoo. Tasting is prohibited I think.