Free Republic

Stalin's last army - hordes of gigantic crabs on their way to invade Europe - By Julius Strauss in Kirkenes, northern Norway (Filed: 28/02/2004) Millions of giant Pacific crabs, whose ancestors were brought to Europe by Joseph Stalin in the 1930s, are marching south along Norway's coast, devouring everything in their path. The monster crabs, which can weigh up to 25lb and have a claw-span of more than three feet, are proving so resilient that scientists fear they could end up as far south as Gibraltar. Energised by a mysterious population explosion a decade ago, whole armies of the crustaceans...

Crabbers subsidized with federal aid checks It's the first time funds of this magnitude have been provided by U.S. Associated Press NAGS HEAD - For the first time, more than 2,000 crabbers will get federal aid checks to make up for a glut of foreign imports and a drop in prices. N.C. crab harvests have fallen off drastically from the record 65.6 million pounds caught in 1996. This year's catch, not yet counted, is higher than it has been in recent years, but the bigger catch has driven prices down. Crabbers were paid about 20 cents per pound this year,...

<p>If the Earth's climate continues to warm up as predicted, some crab species along the Pacific coast may face extinction. A study shows that small crabs that live just off the beach in warmer waters have little tolerance for rising temperatures. Jonathon H. Stillman, a marine biologist at Stanford University, tested the heat tolerance of four species of crabs found in the shallow waters of the Pacific Ocean and reports his findings this week in the journal Science.</p>