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Effects of the invasive red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) on soft-bottom fauna in Varangerfjorden, northern Norway

  • "Marine Biodiversity under Change"
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Abstract

The red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) was introduced from the northern Pacific to the Russian Murman coast during the 1960s and 1970s. Over the subsequent decades, the crab has become established in northern Norwegian waters, where it continues spreading westward. The crab is an active predator on benthic fauna, especially feeding in deep soft-bottom environments. The present studies, carried out in the Varanger area close to the Russian border in 2007-2009, indicate that soft-bottom epifauna and infauna have become markedly reduced in crab-invaded areas. For infauna, quantitative data from 1994 were used as a basis to compare faunal composition before and after the crab became abundant in the area. It appeared that echinoderms, non-moving burrowing and tube-dwelling polychaetes, and most bivalves were reduced, whereas some small-sized polychaetes and small bivalves had increased. In situ sediment profile imagery (SPI) was used to examine sediment structure and biogenic activity. At several locations, the sediment habitat quality was degraded due to hypoxic conditions and low biological activity below surface layers. It is suggested that the crab has removed organisms performing important functions such as bio-irrigation and sediment reworking. Hence, it appears that the crab may reduce the functional diversity of the resident species assemblages, which may have overall implications for ecosystem function, production and responses to other environmental stressors.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the captain and crew of RV Johan Ruud, of the University of Tromsø, and Einar M. Nilssen for fieldwork support. Macrofauna samples in Bøkfjorden in 2007 were collected by Sten-Richard Birkely and Bent Barman Skaare. We further acknowledge Vera Remen, Andrey Sikorski, Andrey Y. Voronkov, Rune Palerud, Halldis Ringvold, Hans Petter Mannvik, Brage Rygg, Hans Tore Rapp and Lies Vansteenbrugge for sample sorting and identification and Trond Thangstad for graphical work. We thank Stephen Jewett, Rutger Rosenberg and one anonymous reviewer for helpful criticism of the manuscript. This study was financed by the Norwegian Directorate of Nature Management, with additional support from Institute of Marine Research, Norwegian Institute for Water Research and Akvaplan-niva. S. Cochrane’s participation was additionally financed by Eni Norge, through the Arctic Seas Biodiversity (ASBD) project. The samples in Bøkfjorden were taken as part of an environmental assessment study for Sydvaranger Gruve AS in Kirkenes. This publication was originally presented at the Arctic Frontiers Conference in Tromsø, January 2010. The support and initiative of ARCTOS and Arctic Frontiers are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Jon Lilletuns vei 3, 4879, Grimstad, Norway

    Eivind Oug

  2. Akvaplan-niva, FRAM—High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, 9296, Tromsø, Norway

    Sabine K. J. Cochrane

  3. Institute of Marine Research, 9294, Tromsø, Norway

    Jan H. Sundet

  4. Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway

    Karl Norling & Hans C. Nilsson

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  1. Eivind Oug
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  2. Sabine K. J. Cochrane
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Correspondence to Eivind Oug.

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Oug, E., Cochrane, S.K.J., Sundet, J.H. et al. Effects of the invasive red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) on soft-bottom fauna in Varangerfjorden, northern Norway. Mar Biodiv 41, 467–479 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-010-0068-6

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