According to the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, despite some variation, the king crab stock has shown a generally downward trend since 2003.
Photo: Erling Svensen / Norwegian Institute of Marine Research.
The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research published its recommendation this week on the king crab catch quota for 2026. Norwegian researchers believe that the total catch should not exceed 850 tons of male crab. This is 44% less than last year's quota recommendation.
"The stock assessment this year shows a decline in the harvestable portion of the king crab population," said stock manager Ann Merete Hjelset, explaining the reason behind this recommendation.
As noted by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, the king crab is an introduced species in Norwegian waters and is therefore managed according to a dual objective.
In East Finnmark, the goal is to maintain a long-term fishery through quota advice, while also limiting the westward spread of king crab. In the West of North Cape, however, there is open fishing for king crab, which is intended to keep the stock as low as possible.
Therefore, the Norwegian marine researchers conduct their studies in the regulated zone, while recommending that open fishing be maintained outside the quota-regulated area. This year's survey cruise took place in the fjords of Finnmark from September 13 to October 3. In total, 111 trawl hauls and 24 trap stations were conducted.
"This combination of trawl and traps ensures that we obtain valuable data on the composition of the king crab population – both in terms of size and sex, but also injuries, roe, and shell age," researcher Ann Merete Hjelset explained.
The data obtained from the survey cruise and from the commercial crab fishery are used to calculate stock development, fishing mortality and to develop forecasts and risk analyses.
As mentioned, this year's stock assessment shows a decline in the exploitable king crab population. In its report 'King Crab in the Norwegian Zone - Status and Advice for 2026', the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research says that the increase in quotas in previous years appears to have led to higher fishing mortality in the stock.
Therefore, the recommendation is that the total catch of male crabs for 2026 in the quota-regulated area should not exceed 850 tons, which is in line with management objectives of less than a 10% probability of the stock falling below the Blim (biomass limit reference point), as well as a maximum probability of 35% that fishing mortality will exceed the Flim (fishing mortality limit reference point).
Before this year's stock assessment, Norwegian marine researchers conducted a methodological review and updated the cruise indices to better handle the complex distributions of the population in the fjords.
Nevertheless, the stock manager noted that the results of the new and old models are consistent. "Both indicate the same level for the harvestable stock of male crabs and the same fishing mortality over time," said Hjelset.
The survey indices take into account the development of the stock in both time and space and are intended to provide a more accurate picture of the development and reduce uncertainty in the stock assessment.
"The updated survey indices indicate a somewhat more negative trend in the development of the stock of harvestable male crabs over time," the researcher added.
Thus, with all the data collected, scientists at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research also recommended closing fishing in the quota-regulated area—this is East Finnmark—from March 1 to April 30, at a minimum.
"This will protect the stock during a period when they are more vulnerable. This is when male and female crabs meet in shallow areas to molt and reproduce," Hjelset explained.
According to researchers, this closure will reduce the risk of injury to crabs during handling and, at the same time, help maintain a productive population.
"To further reduce the number of injured crabs, it should at minimum be prohibited to fish shallower than 100 meters," stock manager Ann Merete Hjelset claimed.