Spider crabs

[el_carpo]

Hello again,

I was watching the local news yesterday and they did a story about a bunch of spider crabs invading Australia. They said that the things covered a huge area and were piled three feet high. They seemed to be saying that it wasn't a normal occurance and when asked, scientists said that they believe the behavior may be related to mating. Have you guys heard about this? Is it something strange or does this usually happen around this time of year?

I would imagine it would make fishing a bit difficult to have 3 feet of amorous crabs covering the ocean floor. It pretty much rules out live bait bottom fishing.

I hope they stay in the water and their gathering isn't part of some sinister plot to overthrow humanity. :o With the massive numbers of them, they would overrun the countryside in mere hours. Your only hope would be cane toads. How ironic.

Anyway, has this story made the news or is this some made up attempt to get ratings for the local news on a slow news night?

Just wondering.

E.C.

[Dug]

I saw a little bit on the news I think Melbourne has been completely destroyed by them but that's nothing important lost, thank goodness.

They are in Port Philip bay from what I heard no one seems to know why or how?

[Dug]

Rare crabs swarm in Port Phillip
09:01 AEST Wed May 25 2005
AAP

Researchers have filmed a rare natural event as tens of thousands of spider crabs massed together underwater in Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay.

The crabs recently converged on a sand plain in the southern part of the bay over an area the size of a football field.

The crawling crab carpet reaches up to 10 crabs high in places.

Museum Victoria marine scientists said the exact reason for the gathering was not known, but it was likely to be related to breeding.

Spider crabs are normally found scattered throughout Port Phillip Bay in low numbers, as well as offshore in Bass Strait.

Individually, the crabs have a body around 20 cm long with legs up to 40 cm long.

Museum Victoria marine scientists Dr Mark Norman and Julian Finn will play the rare footage, which they captured while filming for a new museum marine exhibition, to media on Thursday.
??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? :o

[mjc85]

Can u eat these crabs ?

[Dug]

YES!!!

[Hoges]

http://www.seanature.southcom.com.au/picb2.htm
Spider Crab Aggregation

One article on these crabs in the bay mentioned that they were not edible.
I saw hundreds of Spider crabs once in the shallows of Bruny Island in Tassie and the couple of abalone divers I was with said they were no good for eating. :(
One reason from memory was they were very watery with little flesh.

[szopen]

I have seen this on the news in the morning.
But what they said it is a lot of crabs in an area size of football field, so threats of invasion are not that big.

I would think that the exact location is kept pretty tight.

[el_carpo]

Thanks guys, I feel much better now with the facts. For a second there, I thought you were doomed.

E.C.

[peabow]

you no what thay say when peabow go,s fish the crabs go missen ::)

[Dug]

1 pound Spider crab meat (picked free of shells)
2 teaspoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of chopped chives
1 avocado
1 lemon
_ cup capers
1 each pink grapefruit (sectioned)
1 each orange (sectioned)
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Someone has to think they are worth eating :D

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

I've never seen one. Are they as nice as the muddies we get up here in Central Qld?

Dave

[Dignity]

The european spider crab fishery is quite big in the Channel Isles so it must have some value
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~carlm/spider.html

and it seems to be anorthern hemisphere species
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesSH.asp?curGroupID=8&shapeID=1063&curPageNum=11&recnum=SC0019

but then there is this australian article
http://www.mov.vic.gov.au/crust/mov701t.html

As I haven't seen any of these in queensland waters are they a recent arrival or have they always been around

[Dug]

I think they are purely a cold water species.

[bidkev]

The european spider crab fishery is quite big in the Channel Isles so it must have some value
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~carlm/spider.html



Thye catch 'em in the UK and apparently most of the canned crab is pider crab.

Over there they call 'em Japanes spider crab. I had a mate out fishing with me one day. He was a bit of a pot head and we were rather "happy" when he pulled in this crab. "It's a Japanes spider crab", says I. To which he replied, "mut've walked a ferkin' long way!" We fell about :-)

cheers

kev

[DICER]

I have caught them in Ceduna, off the main loading ternimal - as an accident. I did not eat them though.

[Dignity]

Kingtin,Dug, thanks for the info - been delayed a bit, spent the last 4 days away up fishing off coast nth of frazer island. Kingtin, all the pictures I've seen of Japanese spider crabs have looooong legs - up to a 3/4 metre. Wonder if they are the same species or different.

[bidkev]

Kingtin,Dug, thanks for the info - been delayed a bit, spent the last 4 days away up fishing off coast nth of #frazer island. #Kingtin, all the pictures I've seen of Japanese spider crabs have looooong legs - up to a 3/4 metre. #Wonder if they are the same species or different.

Perhaps they're the same ones and those with shorter legs have just put in more mileage? ;-)

cheers

kev

[DICER]

the ones I caught had ~0.8 meter long legs + decent carapace

nothing like the australia article posted above (Halicarcinus ovatus)

[Dignity]

Dicer, that's what I was thinking of when the spider crabs were first mentioned - maybe yours were the japanese variety

[TonyM]

I would think that the exact location is kept pretty tight.

I hope so :-/

Otherwise I'm sure they wouldn't last long, and that'd be a bummer as they are probably mating....

[DICER]

my bet is that the're still there.... probably having a feast on the abalone and mating away like you said. An Infant fishery ? or demise !

[Wyoming]

Whoops! I understand that the Spider Crabs have landed at Frankstone and have consumed all intelligent life forms.

Nobody is answering the phone in Frankstone...