CRAB AND LOBSTER FISHERIES 203 



it is essential that great care be used in washing and handling the meat 

 to remove blood, bits of viscera, shell, and debris. At the same time, 

 speed in process steps is essential so that the meat is exposed to air, 

 warm temperatures, and contamination for a minimum period of time. 

 In recent years the production of canned Dungeness crab meat has 

 declined because of the increasing demand for the fresh and frozen prod- 

 ducts, and the competition from imported canned crab meat. 



King Crab. The king crab (Paralithodes camschatica) is a giant among 

 the edible crab species, weighing as much as 24 pounds and spanning 

 up to 5 feet from tip to tip of outstretched legs. It lives on the bottom 

 in the cold waters of central and western Alaska, extending from the end 

 of its range off southeastern Alaska to Prince William Sound, Kodiak 

 Island, and out along the Aleutians and into the Bering Sea. Before 1940, 

 American operations for king crab were on a minor scale and Americans 

 were most familiar with the Japanese canned king crab meat. 



Following World War II, American fishermen and industry investigated 

 the king crab potential on a commercial scale^. In little more than a 

 decade, vessel and shore operations in Alaska for the production of the 

 frozen and canned king crab have expanded to produce a 1961 catch of 

 43 million pounds and 151,000 cases of the canned product^^. 



Fishery Methods. King crab are harvested almost entirely with large 

 pots because of the conservation regulations in Alaska that prohibit the 

 use of otter trawls in certain state waters. Pots are limited to a total 

 of 30 per fishing vessel, but the large size of the king crab pots and their 

 adaptability to the variety of fishing conditions have resulted in a high 

 level of productivity. 



Conservation regulations forbid the taking of females and any male 

 less than 63^^ inches carapace width. Mutilated and dead crabs are dis- 

 carded. The crabs are held in the live well in circulating sea water aboard 

 the boat, but occasionally inshore boats will bring in the crabs as a deck 

 load. Fishery seasons and areas are determined in part by conservation 

 regulations and partly by the quality and yield of the crabs. 



Canned King Crab. Process requirements include the use of only prime, 

 healthy crabs for butchering, prompt cooking, thorough washing and 

 chilling of the meat before packing in the cans, and addition of salt for 

 flavor and citric acid solution for control of pH in the canned product^. 

 In recent years, various methods for precook and meat recovery have 

 been developed. Some processors use a single batch cook of 20 to 22 

 minutes in water at 212°F prior to squeezing or blowing the meat from 

 the shell. Others favor the use of a two-cook process in which the butch- 

 ered crab sections are given a low temperature cook at 160 to 165°F for 

 ten minutes in fresh water. 



