One of the many images the name “Alaska” conjures is a platter of steaming crab legs accompanied by a ramekin of drawn butter. King crab ranks with lobster as one of the premiere shellfish delicacies in the world.
While shellfish connoisseurs have long appreciated king crab, tanner crab (snow crab), and Dungeness crab from Alaska, the television series The Deadliest Catch made folks aware of the rigors and dangers involved in catching the beautiful crabs they craved. Although the show is sometimes overly dramatic, there is no question that while crab fishing can be highly profitable, it is often dangerous.
Over my next several posts, I plan to explore in detail some of the species of crabs inhabiting Alaska’s waters, and then I will describe the seasons, techniques, and perils of fishing for these crabs.
I have been busy lately. Not only did I leap into podcasting, but I recently finished writing my fourth novel, Karluk Bones. The book is now in my publisher’s hands and should be available soon. I completed the rough draft of this novel last December and finally finished editing it in July. It is a tremendous job to write and edit a book!
I have also been working with the incredible actress Carol Herman to produce an audiobook of The Fisherman’s Daughter, and I am happy to announce Carol finished her narration, and the book should be available soon. I like to provide audiobook editions of my novels because I enjoy listening to audiobooks. Between my work at our lodge and my writing career, I have little spare time to read, so I listen to audiobooks while I work in the yard, cook, paint, or run the boat. I love listening to a good story.
With two big projects out of the way, I can now focus on new challenges. My first goal is to finish my wildlife book, and my second is to work on my next novel. Meanwhile, I will continue with my mystery newsletter, my podcast, and my blog.
I am looking forward to learning more about crab, and my next post will delve into the types and ranges of the four commercially valuable king crab species in Alaska.
As always, I would love to have you leave comments, questions, ideas, and even critiques. Thank you for reading!
If you would like to receive my newsletter on murder and mystery in Alaska, sign up below. Also, don’t forget to listen to my podcast, Murder
Robin Barefield is the author of three Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, and The Fisherman’s Daughter. To download a free copy of one of her novels, watch her webinar about how she became an author and why she writes Alaska wilderness mysteries. Also, sign up below to subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska.
