Fishing warning: Mega-red king crabs from Norway invade Britain – threat to local catch | UK | News

The species, which can grow to up to 5ft across, has been appearing by the hundreds in the pots of Yorkshire fishermen. Crabbers have mixed feelings about the prickly goliaths which are popular among chefs but less so with the brown crab, which weighs up to 7lbs and could be replaced on British menus.

Fishermen initially thought the invaders were red king crab, some of which Soviet scientists transported to the Barents Sea from the Pacific in the 1960s.

However, experts from the Natural History Museum and Institute of Marine Research in Norway say they were actually Norway king crab, known also as the prickly crab.

Dr Paul Clark from the Natural History Museum told The Telegraph he had never seen the species caught in such numbers in the UK before.

British fishermen are now investing in bigger pots to take advantage of their arrival in higher numbers and a potential crabbing boom.

Fish supplier Shaun Henderson said one of his fishermen hauled up 40 stones worth of king crabs off Bridlington, East Yorkshire, this week.

Mr Henderson, who sells to more than 80 restaurants, said: “My family has been fishing for two generations but none of them has ever caught a king crab. I’m excited about it all but they do seem like quite an invasive species, so I feel wary.

“They seem to be eating up the scallops at the bottom and could out-compete brown crabs. I’m a bit worried about our native seafood.”

He added that the king crabs had destroyed quite a lot of the other fishing in Norway, but made a lot of people a lot of money.

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Norway king crabs are found in British waters, but were rarely caught in such large quantities.

Experts say the high numbers are a mystery, but the colossal crustaceans may have gathered to prepare for the mating season.

Mr Henderson told The Telegraph: “It’s quite small king crab – around a kilo in size.

“We are really keen to put some bigger pots down there to see what is going on.”

His company plans to sell the 200-strong catch to the public and restaurants in London with some going for £30 a kilo – which is about three times the price for brown crab.

Will Murray, a chef at Fallow in London, said: “They’re quite a tricky crab to prep, they have got very long spines on, but the meat is just sublime.

“It’s got a little bit more texture to it and a little bit more fibre in the meat. It’s super, super sweet.”