Golden king crab (Lithodes aequispinus) is a pan-Pacific species of deep-water crab that is particularly populous along the continental shelf of Eastern Russia and in the open waters of the central and northern Sea of Okhotsk at depths of 250-650 meters. The entire range of the species stretches on the western side of the Pacific from Central Japan up through the Sea of Okhotsk to reach the West Bering Sea along the eastern coast of Kamchatka. Meanwhile, on the North American side, the species resides in waters stretching from the Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska down to southern British Columbia (Metelev 2021); (Ovchinnikov et al. 2017).

Relatively little is known about the stock structure and life history of the species, its reproductive biology, and its migration patterns. It has been targeted by commercial fisheries in Russia dating back to 1968, with fisheries presently active in six fishery management subzones: East Sakhalin (#61.05.03), North Kurils (#61.03), South Kurils (#61.04), Northern Sea of Okhotsk (#61.05.01), Western Kamchatka (#61.05.02), and Central Sea of Okhotsk (Peanut Enclave–#61.52) (Metelev 2021).