Origin of the name of the Golden King Crab
Also commonly known as the brown king crab, the golden king crab is also one of the most representative species of king crabs consumed in the market.
The Golden king crab used to be called the brown king crab, however the name was misleading as all the commercially caught king crab species had a brown color with some distinctive color features of their own.
The golden king crab got its distinctive name by its golden color. The golden king crab is easier to tell apart from the red king crab and the blue king crab.
The golden king crab is called イバラガニモドキ, ibaraganimodoki in Japanese and called 황왕게 in Korean. The scientific name for the golden king crab is Lithodes aequispinus.
Golden King Crab or Brown King Crab – FDA vs. Congress
The Golden King Crab used to be called the brown king crab in the U.S.A and still in countries like Korea, the golden king crab is called brown king crab. However, the congress believed that the name of the brown king crab discouraged consumers from purchasing brown king crab(golden king crab).
The congress attempted to change the name brown king crab to golden king crab as it was a more appetizing name, however the FDA refused at first.
However the congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 that superseded the US Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 Food and Drugs part 102 section 102.50.
The US Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 Food and Drugs part 102 section 102.50 designates the name brown king crab but section 774 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 states the name golden king crab.
Thus, in the US, only the name golden king crab is legal. The congress was eager to change the name to golden king crab because unlike the unstable population of red king crab and blue king crab that frequently had to shutdown fishing for population control, golden king crab maintained a steady population and became a market with steady supply.
Size and Habitat of the Golden King Crab
Commercially caught king crabs weight 1.8kg ~ 3.6kg about 4 pounds to 8 pounds like the other king crab species. The golden king crab also lives in the Northern Pacific similar to the red king crab and the blue king crab from Alaska, Russia to the waters of Japan.
Golden king crabs tend to prefer rocky bottoms while red king crabs and blue king crabs tend to prefer sandy and muddy terrain. Golden king crabs live in depths from 300 meters to 1,000 meters that is about 990 feet to 3,200 feet, typically deeper than the red king crabs and the blue king crabs.
Commercial fishing of golden king crab
Golden king crab have a better population compared with blue king crabs and red king crabs, however still they have less market value due to their smaller size and less crab meat yield compared with the two others.
The golden king crab tend to lay much more eggs than the red king crabs and blue king crabs while they reach sexual maturity earlier at 4 years that contribute to their steady population control.
Still, golden king crab fishing has a quota to continue population control. Fishing season of golden king crab varies by region while it is typically banned in all regions from June to August which his the molting season of the king crabs
Spiny King Crab – Hanasaki king crab
Another king crab species that is consumed in Japan and Korea well known as a delicacy is the hanasaki king crab also known as the spiny king crab.
Hana means flower in Japanese while saki means blooming, the name derives from the numerous spikes from the spiny king crab.
Spiny king crabs or the hanasaki king crabs are typically fished in late spring and late autumn as the spiny king crabs molt. The spiny king crab hanasaki king crab has a red-brownish colors with many spikes. The hanasaki king crab is called ハナサキガニ, hanasakigani and in Korean 가시투성왕게
