| Comments |
The first records of Chionoecetes opilio were in 1996, captured by russian commercial fishing vessels. The suspected vector for introduction is ballast water. In the Barents Sea, C. opilio are mainly colleced as by-catch in bottom trawls, with no Russian show crab fishery being implemented. Quantity of crab bycatch in the northeastern and southeastern Barents Sea has increased since 2006. With the species biomass still increasing exponentially, the ecosystem has yet to demonstrate any negative effects, if any, as it may still be adjusting to the introduction. |