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Norwegians learn from Kiwi SPINY LOBSTER industry BY PHILIP JAMES The Norway King Crab holding facility in Bugøynes, northern Norway N ofi ma Marin, the largest aquaculture research institute in Norway, is currently developing "post-capture" aquaculture. This involves holding animals after they have been captured to either improve their quality and value, or until the market offers optimal value for the product. Until now most of the research has focused on cod, but more recently the focus has shifted to a range of invertebrate species, including the king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus. King crabs are not endemic to northern Norway, but were introduced in 1960 by a zealous Russian scientist intent on transferring the species from the eastern coast of Russia to the western coast and into the Barents Sea. After several failed attempts, the species fi nally became established and rapidly spread west into Norwegian waters, where conditions are ideal for them. They have subsequently spread rapidly and their numbers have increased exponentially in some areas. This has left Norway in the fortunate dilemma of having a valuable and abundant invasive species in their northern coastal waters. Live Tails (frozen) 1988 15% 60% Whole (frozen) 16% Other (heads etc) 9% Volume landed (t) ~ 4000 1998 65% 21% 11% 3% ~ 2500 2008 93% 5% 1.8% 0.2% ~ 2680 Total value (NZD) 72,625,000 101,830,000 156,000,000 TABLE 1: A comparison of the spiny lobster exported live vs. frozen, the total volumes landed and the total value of the catch from New Zealand between 1988 and 2008 Live 2006 2007 2008 2009 32 (4.8%) 57 (6.8%) 73 (2.5%) 221 (8.3%) Frozen 632 (95.2%) 784 (93.2%) 2817 (97.5%) 2528 (91.7%) TOTAL 664 841 2890 2749 TABLE 2: A comparison of the king crab exported live vs. frozen from Norway over the past four years (in tonnes) (percentage of total catch is given in brackets). 8 ■ NZ AQUACULTURE ■ SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 There is now a quota fi shery as well as a free-take zone, the latter to restrict the western and southern spread of the species. The king crab, with its Arctic distribution, huge size and wild deepwater fi shery (made famous by the television series World's Deadliest Catch), is one of the world's most valuable crustacean species, particularly if it is caught alive, held and exported live to lucrative Asian markets. Surprisingly, this is not common. Most king crabs are caught far offshore on large boats where the crew fi sh for several days at a time and store the catch in large live wells as they fi sh. By the time the crabs are landed they are not suitable for exporting live and most are canned. However, Norway has about 300 small vessels fi shing for king crabs. They operate close to shore, fi sh relatively small pots and land animals in excellent condition. This has provided an ideal opportunity for Norway King Crab, a private company in a small town called Bugøynes in northern Norway, to establish a live holding facility and establish exports into Europe and Asia. However, there is no history and little expertise in live holding and exporting crustacea in Norway, and Norwegian scientists and businesses have looked around the world for examples of how it can be done effectively. The New Zealand spiny lobster fi shery is an excellent example of how a crustacean species can be fi shed sustainably and the value of the catch can be optimised. The fi shery was fi rst discovered after the Second World War, when it went through cycles of boom and bust, where the fi shery was heavily exploited and severely overfi shed until the quota management system was introduced in 1990. The establishment of the National Rock Lobster Management Group in 1992 and the Rock Lobster Industry Council in 1996 has seen the New Zealand rock lobster industry grow into one of the most sustainable and valuable species fi shed in New Zealand and around the world. Much of its success, and the secret to the value of the fi shery, is that the lobsters are landed in prime condition, held in live storage tanks and fl own overseas to lucrative Asian markets. Today, almost the entire catch of New Zealand spiny