>>>some photographs of the ocean floor in Kirkenes in northern Norway show a writhing mass of the ugly, spiny animals. <<<
Okay, there is some serious disconnect here.
The disconnect is the government won't allow any serious harvesting of the scruptious pests. Hence the impact on the crab population is negligeable and the price stays sky-high.
Paging Sig Hanson and the Crew of the Northwestern, Boy’s we have crab to catch.