Snow Crab Size report

Snow crab (scientific name: Chionoecetes opilio) is a species native to the northern Pacific and northwestern Atlantic. Gray-eyed snow crabs are very similar to red-eyed snow crabs. When they are sold, they are generally called "snow crabs." They are also called "queen crabs" in Canada and "Matsuba crabs" in Japan. It is a very popular food in Japan, with many local names in various places. The snow crab produced in Fukui Prefecture, called Echizen crab, is a tribute to the Japanese royal family, and its price is much higher than other snow crabs.

The world's snow crab is mainly produced in Alaska, USA. Snow crab is the largest crab resource in Alaska, with a high-yield annual catch of more than 100,000 tons. However, it is also fished in the waters of the North Atlantic (provinces along the Atlantic coast of Canada) and the North Pacific (Russian Far East, Alaska, USA, and Hokkaido, Japan). Unlike gray-eyed snow crabs, red-eyed snow crabs are only found in North Pacific waters. Gray-eyed snow crab is currently the largest crab resource. Red-eye snow crab production typically accounts for less than 10 percent of Alaska's total snow crab production.

Snow crabs are omnivorous, feeding on benthic invertebrates, vegetation, carrion, and occasionally fish. They mainly live in low-temperature waters (-1 to 5°C). The following post introduces more facts about the size and appearance of snow crabs.

Snow Crab Size and Appearance

Snow crabs are more slender and slender than other crabs. This crustacean is about 15 centimeters long and is covered with long hair. The snow crab has a hard carapace, nearly triangular. In addition, the snow crab has four pairs of slender legs and a pair of short and clumsy crab claws. The crab claws have short, small, hard spines that look like hairpins. The snow crab grows slowly, and it takes 11 growth stages. Their color changes as they age. Soon after they molt, snow crabs will be reddish on top and white on the bottom. As they age, this red will fade to a duller olive shade, and its underside will become yellowish.

The snow crab lives 2,200 meters below the surface, so its eyes have degenerated, and its vision has almost completely disappeared. The microbes in the snow crab help it live in the harsh environment deep under the sea. Some scientists believe that the snow crab lives by eating microbes, but others believe that the snow crab is an animal that eats seaweed and small shrimps.

Average Size of Snow Crab

Snow crabs can grow to a maximum carapace width of about 9-15 centimeters, with males growing more than twice as large as females (females are not harvested commercially for this reason). The carapace width of adult males is about 16 cm; that of females is about 9 cm. Red-eyed snow crabs are about twice the size of gray-eyed snow crabs. They weigh between 0.5-1.35 kg. They have a maximum life span of 12-13 years.

Final Words

Fisheries everywhere generally catch only male crabs. The Alaska snow crab fishing season begins in January and ends in March-April. The fishing season's length depends on the quota's size and ice age conditions. The annual production of snow crabs varies widely. Live crabs can only survive for about 24 hours out of water in cold and humid conditions. Frozen crab segments that have been properly ice-coated can be stored for one year. After thawing, the shelf life of the snow crab container is three days. Frozen snow crabs should be stored at minus 20 degrees Celsius to minus 26 degrees Celsius.