On the prospects of fishery of the Barents Sea red king crab within the coastal waters of Russia

Objective: to review the current state of the red king crab stocks in the Barents Sea off the coast of the Kola Peninsula and propose options for optimizing their use. Method : the work is a review of the state of stocks, biology and fishing regime of the red king crab in the Barents Sea coast, based on previously published research results. In addition, unpublished survey data with appropriate explanations were used. Novelty : the review contains information relevant for the summer of 2023 on the fishing regime of the red king crab in coastal waters, examines the prospects for the exploitation of stock of king crab in connection with changes in legislation that occurred in 2023. Results: the coast of the southern part of the Barents Sea is of high importance for the reproduction of the red king crab population and can be considered as a reserve for its fishing in the EEZ of Russia. Among all the sections of the Barents Sea coast, Varanger-Fjord, as the most remote from the area of modern fishing area, is promising for the resumption of crab production in it. In addition, fishery the red king crab in the western part of coast of the Barents Sea will provide additional data on the impact of fishing on the stock, which will be used in fisheries management. In the near future, it is advisable to consider the possibility of changing the by-catch limit for non-commercial individuals when mining in the coastal area, as well as the possibility of allocating the Varanger-Fjord the red king crab as a separate management unit within a single reserve. Prior to receiving new data, it is possible to recommend that no more than 0.6 thousand tons of the red king crab in the Varanger-Fjord area.