Russian scientists releasing artificially reproduced red king crab into Barents Sea

More specifically, in March-June 2010 the scientists reproduced 200,000 red king crabs in controlled environment in Murmansk region, out of the above volume 193,000 crabs were released into wild environment of Dalnezelenskaya Bay of the Barents Sea and 7000 crabs were left on the research premises of the institute.

The crabs' escape to the sea was witnessed by representatives of the State Veterinary Service of Murmansk, the region's department of Russia's Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) and Barents-White Sea territorial department of Russia's Federal Fisheries Agency.

At present the scientists monitor the current condition of escaped crabs.

In the period from 2010 to 2014 the scientists plan to do the following operations: work out the technology of producing larvae and fry of red king crab and further culture in controlled environment, try out release of crab juveniles into open sea in order to recover and maintain abundance of crab stocks, and research biology and physiology of crabs at early stages of ontogenesis.

The scientists say they will need state support so as to expand their operations towards the above mentioned ends. Such support may become an example of efficient cooperation of private capital and the government aimed at solving such large scale issues as conservation of the nation's aquatic biological resources. Apart from the above, the results of the research will be used in order to open crab complexes for fry production towards better stock recruitment and support of wild populations of red king crab in the waters of the Barents Sea and in the Russian Far East.