# King Crabs Invade Antarctica? Good or Bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 4, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-crabs-invade-antarctica-good-or-bad/646099 "2013-01-04T20:21:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-crabs-invade-antarctica-good-or-bad/646099/1 "2013-01-04T20:21:24Z")
Article here:[http://news.discovery.com/animals/king-crabs-antarctic-waters-110208.html](http://news.discovery.com/animals/king-crabs-antarctic-waters-110208.html) Does this mean that Antarctic waters will become a fishing ground for King Crabs? The article says that the invasion most likely started in the 1920’s…before any global warming…could the frigid Antarctic waters warm more, and become a productive fishery? ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-crabs-invade-antarctica-good-or-bad/646099/2 "2013-01-04T22:23:21Z")
I don’t see where the article mentions that it started in the 1920s unless I’m missing something (tried searching for 1920 just in case); [this article](http://scitechdaily.com/invasive-species-king-crabs-could-wipe-out-antarctic-ecosystems/) mentions that is when it started to warm (which actually is in line with global warming, which isn’t just something that started a few decades ago; the Southern Hemisphere started to show warming [right around then](http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs_v3/Fig.A3.gif)), with the actual crab invasion beginning 10-20 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-crabs-invade-antarctica-good-or-bad/646099/3 "2013-01-04T22:37:07Z")
The penguins will, of course, retaliate in kind and invade the North Pole, much to the delight and consternation of Santa Clause accuracy pundits. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-crabs-invade-antarctica-good-or-bad/646099/4 "2013-01-04T22:54:46Z")
Hmmm…I seem to recall some kind of scalar energy device proliferating in the 1920s. I wonder if that has anything to do with concurrent warming of the antarctic waters? My grocery dude opines antarctic King Crab is notably different from its Bering Sea kin. Not nearly as yummy. So, maybe it’s not a good thing. On the other hand … more crab! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-crabs-invade-antarctica-good-or-bad/646099/5 "2013-01-05T04:29:14Z")
I believe it is our duty, as human beings, to do what we do best by making them extinct, one crab boil at a time. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-crabs-invade-antarctica-good-or-bad/646099/6 "2013-01-05T14:23:04Z")
Hopefully this will lead to a Deadliest Catch/Whale Wars crossover, so we can see Watson & his buffoons go up against Sig Hansen and the other crab boats. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-crabs-invade-antarctica-good-or-bad/646099/7 "2013-01-05T14:59:01Z")
The part about endangering the entire ecosystem sort of out weighs any ‘good’ by having more crab available. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-crabs-invade-antarctica-good-or-bad/646099/8 "2013-01-05T22:32:06Z")
**Ike** , that’s just crazy talk.