Did you get a chance to eat any of these monsters when you were up there? I've never been that fond of crab because they are too labour intensive, but the size of these may change my mind.

Stalin's ecological legacy reminds me of the Emperor of Japan introducing Black Bass and Blue Gill into Lake Biwa so that he could enjoy sport fishing. The predictable result of course is that they are eating all the indigenous fish, including the Nigoro-Buna which are fermented to create my favourite Japanese delicacy, funazushi.