U.S. wild-caught Alaska snow crab is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Also Known As

Opilio, Opies

Appearance

• Alaska snow crabs have a hard rounded shell, four pairs of walking legs, and one pair of claws.
• On top they are brownish in color and underneath they are lighter. Their eyes are green or greenish blue.
• Males and females can be distinguished by the shape of their abdominal flaps. On males this flap is triangular, and on females it is broadly rounded.

Biology

• Male Alaska snow crab can reach 6 inches in shell width but females seldom grow larger than 3 inches.
• Scientists estimate that snow crabs may live for up to 20 years.
• Females can carry up to nearly 100,000 eggs, depending on their size. They hatch their larvae in the spring when there is plenty of food in the water column.
• When the eggs hatch, the larvae look like tiny shrimp.
• The larvae feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton before metamorphosing into tiny crabs and settling on the ocean bottom.
• Alaska snow crabs can only grow by molting (shedding their old shell and growing another). 
• After molting snow crabs are soft and vulnerable to predators until their new shell hardens.
• When they have reached sexual maturity, both females and males undergo a “terminal molt,” after which they never molt again.
• Snow crabs will eat almost anything they can catch and break open with their claws, including fish, shrimp, crabs, worms, clams, brittle stars, snails, algae, and sponges. They will also scavenge on anything dead they find.
• Seals, sea otters, octopi, other crabs, and a wide variety of fish prey on Alaska snow crabs.

Where They Live

Range

• Alaska snow crabs are found off the coast of Alaska in the Bering, Beaufort, and Chukchi Seas.

Habitat

• Alaska snow crabs prefer soft sandy or muddy ocean bottoms, typically in water less than 650 feet deep, where they can burrow if threatened by predators and where they can feed on the animals living in the sediment.

Is Alaska Snow Crab Sustainable?

U.S. wild-caught Alaska snow crab is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Availability

Generally harvested from January to April in the Eastern Bering Sea, but available year-round.

Source

U.S. wild-caught in Alaska.

Taste

Sweet.

Texture

Delicate and flaky.

Color

The snow-white meat is what gives the snow crab its name and its reputation as a delicacy.

Health Benefits

Alaska snow crab is a low-fat source of protein.

Nutrition Facts

Servings: 1; Serving Weight: 100 g (raw); Calories: 90; Protein: 18.5 g; Total Fat: 1.18 g; Total Saturated Fatty Acids: 0.143 g ; Carbohydrate: 0 g; Total Sugars: 0 g; Total Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Cholesterol: 55 mg; Selenium: 34.6 mcg; Sodium: 539 mg

FDA and EPA have issued advice regarding eating fish.

This advice can help those who might become or are pregnant or breastfeeding as well as parents and caregivers who are feeding children make informed choices when it comes to the types of fish that are nutritious and safe to eat.

Fish provide key nutrients that support a child’s brain development.

Fish are part of a healthy eating pattern and provide key nutrients during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and/or early childhood to support a child’s brain development:

• Omega-3 (called DHA and EPA) and omega-6 fats
• Iron
• Iodine (during pregnancy)
• Choline

Choline also supports development of the baby’s spinal cord. Fish provide iron and zinc to support children’s immune systems. Fish are a source of other nutrients like protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and selenium too.

Eating fish can provide other health benefits too.

Fish intake during pregnancy is recommended because moderate scientific evidence shows it can help your baby’s cognitive development.

Strong evidence shows that eating fish, as part of a healthy eating pattern, may have heart health benefits.

Healthy eating patterns that include fish may have other benefits too. Moderate scientific evidence shows that eating patterns relatively higher in fish but also in other foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, lean meats and poultry, nuts, and unsaturated vegetable oils, and lower in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, and refined grains are associated with:

• Promotion of bone health – decreases the risk for hip fractures
• Decreases in the risk of becoming overweight or obese
• Decreases in the risk for colon and rectal cancers

A healthy eating pattern consists of choices across all food groups (vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and protein foods, which includes fish), eaten in recommended amounts, and within calorie needs. Healthy eating patterns include foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and other health-promoting components and have no or little added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating fish as part of a healthy eating pattern.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends:

• At least 8 ounces of seafood (less for children) per week based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
• Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume between 8 and 12 ounces per week of a variety of seafood from choices that are lower in mercury.

Choose a variety of fish that are lower in mercury.

While it is important to limit mercury in the diets of those who are pregnant or breastfeeding and children, many types of fish are both nutritious and lower in mercury.

This chart can help you choose which fish to eat, and how often to eat them, based on their mercury levels.

What is a serving? As a guide, use the palm of your hand.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding:

• 1 serving is 4 ounces

Eat 2 to 3 servings a week from the "Best Choices" list
(OR 1 serving from the "Good Choices" list).

Childhood:
On average, a serving is about:

• 1 ounce at age 1 to 3
• 2 ounces at age 4 to 7
• 3 ounces at age 8 to 10
• 4 ounces at age 11

Eat 2 servings a week from the “Best Choices” list.