dirk heichweiger loves the arctic ocean
the german has been living in norway's
high north for 12 years
he takes tourists to see the sites along
the coast near the russian border
he brings up one of those sites from the
bottom of the sea for this tour group
he only set out the traps the day before
at a depth of 180 meters
but one day was long enough for him to
now haul up dozens of king crabs
a delicacy all around the world yet the
crabs are also a growing ecological
problem
the crustaceans multiply like rabbits
jump in the water you get eaten from the
crabs we have crabs wherever you are
this is a load to catch we need only
from the
front to the back 15 centimeters
harvesting the king crabs has brought an
unheard of prosperity
to norway's economically constrained
high north
including for the remote fishing village
of bugoynes
in 1989 residents ran an advertisement
offering their village for sale
young people were moving away because
there was no work
now the village has been revived
complete with bed and breakfasts and
even a bistro
and it's all thanks to none other than
the king crab
fisherman leif engele was among the
first to discover the non-native species
of bougainess
soviet researchers had released them in
the barren sea in the 1950s
but england was unaware of that when he
found the monster crab
in his nets one day
the first crabs we caught weighed 10 to
12 kilos
we were taken completely by surprise
but if the crabs hadn't turned up we
wouldn't have
any fish processing in town
the explosive spread of the king crab is
a boon to the fishermen
but the norwegian environmentalists and
scientists are alarmed
the voracious eaters are being spotted
farther and farther south
they're expected to reach the coast of
scotland soon
we found that the crabs are able to
adapt to water temperatures of 18
degrees celsius
that means they could survive in the
mediterranean
wherever these crabs become established
they have devastating
effects on the other marine life on the
seabed
some species like mussels and starfish
have disappeared completely
the king crab is also known as the
monster crab
it has no natural enemies and poses a
threat to every other living thing on
the seabed
so fisheries authorities have made the
quotas generous
and tourists aren't the only ones glad
of that
we have the right to catch 10 crabs for
our own use
for free per person per year
one crab is worth 900 kroner or 90 euros
right in our pockets multiplied by 10
and you know for a thousand euros you're
eating a luxury delicacy
for free what dirk heichfeiger serves as
guests
after only a short time in the kitchen
can otherwise be had
only in europe's and asia's finest
restaurants
norway exports over 2 000 tons of king
crab
all around the world annually
while environmental concerns about
invasive species continue
the tourists savor its spicy meat and
the norwegian authorities hope the high
fishing quotas
will help keep the crab population under
control
the people of northern norway meanwhile
hope this lucrative source of income
will last a while longer they've already
built a monument
to the king crab
you