Hatchery king crab prepared for ocean release

KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — A big test has never looked so small.

Swimming in a pair of plastic tanks within the first floor of the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center are 13,000 red king crab, each no bigger than half a pinky fingernail.

In three weeks, the first of these crab will be released into the ocean, marking the first time hatchery-raised Alaska king crab have been introduced into the wild, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reports.

“It's certainly an exciting step; I'm waiting with bated breath to see what happens,” said Ginny Eckert, associate professor of fisheries for the University of Alaska Fairb...