We don't have to be so serious all the time with political stories, do we? Just some light reading.
Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) -- More than 10 million giant Pacific crabs, each weighing up to 25 pounds (11 kilograms) and with a claw-span of more than three feet (1 meter), are moving south along Norwegian coastlines, the Telegraph reported, citing fishermen, environmentalists and government officials.
The crabs, called Kamchatka or Red King crabs, have moved about 400 miles (644 kilometers) and could travel as far south as Gibraltar, the paper said. They are descended from crabs introduced to Europe in the 1930s by Josef Stalin, the paper said.
They can survive on almost anything, including kelp, dead fish, seaweed and fish eggs, and they eat crushed shells for calcium, the paper said, citing Lars Petter Olie, a Norwegian diver. Northern clams and other shellfish, which were abundant, have been nearly eliminated by the crabs, the paper said.
Their population is exploding because they have no natural predators, the paper said, citing Andreas Tveteraas, an Oslo-based analyst with the World Wildlife Fund. Some experts are calling for government to sponsor a ``blitz'' to stop the crabs, the report said. On Jan. 1 Norwegian authorities lifted some restrictions on crabbing along the shore, the paper said.
Some fisherman welcome the crabs, whose meat is similar to the finest lobster and can fetch around 200 Norwegian kroner ($28.6) per pound, the paper said. One leg provides a filling meal for a grown man, the paper said. site)
Posted by Roya Aziz at February 29, 2004 05:48 PMIt's fun, thanks. I am impressed though by the necessity to make it look like a double threat: an environmental one, and Stalin's hand who seems to have launched a vicious time bomb on western Europe. Sorry: this too is fun. Have you noted that they are RED king crabs?
You mean ... 10 MILLION RED crabs.
Posted by: Roya Aziz at March 2, 2004 12:01 AM