Crabs & Crawfish
Index |  | Brown Crab One of the most important inshore species which has undergone a sharp fall in landings. Over the last few years a large proportion of brown crabs are caught by offshore super crabber boats. The rate of increase of catch is unsustainable. |
| Environmental Impact |  | Spider Crab The national size limit is not being enforced. Tangle nets are being used to harvest male claws. It is vital that tangle nets are banned. In addition immature and small adults are being used as whelk bait and this is not sustainable. |
Further Reading |  | Velvet Crab There is no management of this species and the status of this species is not known. The processing sector have reported the loss of larger grades from landed catches. |
 | Crawfish Crawfish stocks are severly depleted and it is vital that action is taken to protect this species. In particular the fisheries science services recomend a ban on the use of crawfish tangle nets. Even where areas have been closed to tangle nets there is no enforcement and crawfish are captured in large numbers. |
| References: Brown Crab: http://www.marine.ie/NR/rdonlyres/E316E822-2BCF-4ACC-9735-A1081F478611/0/BrownCrabs06.pdf [accessed 04/12/2007] Brown Crab Image:http://www.english-nature.org.uk/virtualtours/Lundy/images/small/edible_crab.jpg [accessed 04/12/2007] Spider Crab: http://www.marine.ie/NR/rdonlyres/362F37F5-CBB2-47FB-88C0-5405C6BCBC79/0/SpidercrabfisheryinDivisionsVIIj05.pdf [accessed 04/12/2007] Spider Crab Image: http://www.woodbridge.tased.edu.au/mdc/Species%20Register/Spider%20Crab.jpg [accessed 04/12/2007] Velvet Crab: http://marine.ie/NR/rdonlyres/A5314037-7617-4E49-84F1-3ABB65388150/0/VelvetCrabonallCoasts06.pdf [accessed 04/12/2007] Velvet Crab Image: http://www.sherkinmarine.ie/marinephoto.htm [accessed 04/12/2007] Crawfish: http://www.marine.ie/NR/rdonlyres/7AAF72DF-1F5D-4E02-8738-91D7A67ECE84/0/CrawfishonallCoasts06.pdf [accessed 04/12/2007] Crawfish Image: http://www.esatclear.ie/~lobster/index.html.htm [accessed 04/12/2007] |
