The USSR released thousands of giant crabs into the Arctic in 1960: decades later, a 'red invasion' has taken control of several countries

Nature never ceases to surprise us. No matter how hard humans try to control it, sooner or later it slips beyond our grasp. That is exactly what happened with the red king crab, a giant crustacean native to the Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. Famous for its enormous size, it can grow to more than 3 feet across, with a heavy, spiny shell that makes it one of the world’s most prized seafood delicacies. In the wild, however, these crabs play a very different role, feeding on organisms that live on the seafloor and dramatically reshaping local marine habitats.

Why did Russian’s move giant crabs?

In the 1960s, Soviet scientists deliberately relocated the giant crabs from their native waters to the Barents Sea, north of Norway and Russia. The goal was to create an entirely new and highly profitable commercial fishing industry that could provide a steady supply of valuable seafood while boosting the coastal economy. For a while, the plan appeared to be a complete success, as the crabs adapted exceptionally well to their new environment. What no one anticipated was that the newcomers would eventually come to dominate the region.

A giant crab capable of transforming an entire sea

The red king crab has left a profoundly altered underwater landscape. Over time, invaded areas have experienced declines in the diversity and biomass of bottom-dwelling organisms, while commercially important fish have become harder to find.

These enormous crustaceans have thrived largely because of their remarkably indiscriminate appetite. They are highly mobile, opportunistic bottom-feeding omnivores capable of consuming almost anything they encounter on the seafloor. When thousands of red king crabs move through the same stretch of ocean bottom, they effectively strip it clean, devouring mussels, sea stars, and many native shellfish species in their path.

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