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King crab
This striking crab is a member of the deep-sea dwelling king crabs. The species is a porcupine crab Neolithodes grimaldii, found throughout the North Atlantic including the Rockall Trough and Porcupine Seabight off Ireland.
This species is not currently fished, although it is frequently brought up as bycatch. However, climate change is pushing these cold-water crabs to extend their range, potentially opening up the porcupine crab to use as a fishery. The king crab fishing industry is notoriously dangerous, particularly that of the red, blue and golden king crabs, collectively known as Alaskan king crabs. The Alaskan king crab fishery has been captured on screen in the show ‘Deadliest Catch’, following the dangers faced by fishing vessels and crew during king crab harvests in the freezing waters of the Bering Sea.