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This report provides information on the production systems and consumption patterns in the UK, Republic of Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal. Information covers: Stocks (the geographical and ecological context for the source of brown crab – waters of the North East Atlantic concerning the UK, Rep of Ireland, France mainly). Capture production. Transport and distribution (concerning the movement of brown crab between stages of production: road, sea and air). Processing/storage (concerning receiving/preparation/preservation and packing of brown crab) Market/Sales outlet (concerning export/retail/food service/wholesale – UK, Rep of Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal and external export markets). Consumption (concerning in-home and out of home consumption). Waste (concerning the collection/treatment of waste products – including packaging to landfill, incineration, recycling, or composting).

Examination made on two consignments of brown crab exported from the UK to Spain. The aim was to assess the loads for quality, marketability and mortality and to account for the differences observed. In particular the relationship between physical D.A. Massonage and mortality was investigated and the causes of D.A. Massonage were discussed at some length.

The report is an information document describing the main features of the fishery for M. Puber and its markets. This report has been produced from a scanned original and may therefore contain some formatting and other inaccuracies. In cases where this affects the technical content, a paper copy of the original report can still be obtained from Seafish.

The first aim of this project was to examine and gain a better understanding of the aggressive behaviour of the animals. Aggressive behaviour, causing injury or death, is thought to be a major obstacle in keeping animals in communal tanks. It was found that the Norway lobsters are able to build a dominance hierarchy, which reduces overall aggression in communal tanks. Moreover, it was found that pheromones are necessary for establishing dominance. Follow up studies will aim to gain a better understanding of the role of aggression in natural behaviour including territoriality,resource competition and mate choice. The second aim is to develop economic holding conditions for the animals. Holding animals in communal tanks is thought to be easier to manage - in terms of feeding and maintaining good water quality - than keeping them separately. Ongoing experiments comparing holding conditions indicate that there seems to be no difference in survival rate between individual and communal holding conditions. The third aim is to decide upon the best methods of collecting eggs and to hatch them. This will be researched in the next two years. Eggs will be collected by catching berried females. Holding conditions will be tested to maximize the hatching rate of the four larval stages in the lab. The results of the study will improve the understanding of the species which could help drive better stock management. In addition, it could support the fishing industry by providing sustainability and reducing the influence of natural barriers to fishing, such as weather conditions.

The rapid development of the British Shellfish Industry and the requirement to export live shellfish has lead to the industry needing better methods and information about live holding. This data sheet is part of a series forming a guide to the selection of equipment needed to successfully store and transport live crabs and lobsters. These data sheets should be used in conjunction with data sheets: Handling Crabs for the Live Trade: Part I and II. This sheet is a guide to both the filters, and instrumentation requirements of live holding and vivier systems.

Velvet swimming crabs are traditionally consumed by southern European nations where crab fisheries have collapsed - this has enabled development of the velvet crab fishery in Northern Ireland as a commercially significant sector. There exists, however, virtually no data on which to base the sustainable exploitation of this fishery. This research will pursue studies of populations and individuals of the velvet crab to provide critical information to inform and guide policy in this important fishing industry in Northern Ireland, and will potentially develop local economies and jobs. We will: (1) conduct field surveys of abundance and population structure of velvet crab; (2) assess effects of fishing methods and by-catch on sustainability; (3) examine the welfare of individuals with physiological measures to enhance survivorship and welfare during transportation, thus improving meat yield and quality.

The Seafood Guide aims to help chefs, caterers, processors, retailers and consumers understand the wonderful array of fish and shellfish available in the UK. It contains detailed species information along with information on handling & storage, quality, cuts & portions and cooking.

This report is an initial review of key export trades for the UK seafood industry. It considers the major industry impacts arising from key trade drivers and sets out major areas where a response from industry and Seafish may be required.

A Guide to Food Safety Management for Fishmongers has been developed specifically for people who manage a typical independent fishmonger shop or operate a mobile fishmonger vehicle.

This guide provides legislation for mobile fishmonger businesses in that want to sell catch directly to customers.

Shell waste is a major problem with UK production of waste from calcareous shellfish (excluding Nephrops and shrimp) of around 75,000t/yr of which potentially ~20,000t is flesh. Although there are many theoretical options for the use of waste shell few are commercially viable, often due to the costs of separation and cleaning. Previous work has shown it is possible to separate the flesh from the shell and supply the ‘free of flesh shell’ for use in aggregates; however this leaves the problem of what to do with the fleshy material. The current “Proof of Concept” project has focused on the use of shellfish waste derived flesh waste in commercial bait. A comprehensive set of trials with bait sticks prepared from scallop (King & Queen), whelk, and crab waste demonstrated that the fleshy waste from shell is a suitable material for baits. Whelk and crab waste formed very good baits for lobster attraction and were comparable to standard baits for whelk attraction

A comprehensive guide to commercial fishing methods. This publication contains illustrations and descriptions of commonly used fishing methods, gears and rigs.