Brown crab

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General

Lobsters and crayfish

Lobsters live in saltwater whilst crayfish live in freshwater habitats. Lobsters and crayfish are most often caught using pots or traps. Most lobsters are equipped with ten legs and two scissors as front legs. With these scissors, they are able to grab, cut or crack their food. Did you know lobsters and crayfish, just lie snakes, change their skin because their shell does not grow with their bodies? After changing their shell the animal grows fast and increases in weight.

There are many different lobster species. Most common are the American lobster in the north-western Atlantic ocean, and the European lobster in the north-eastern Atlantic ocean. Lobsters have a relatively slow growth rate and reach sexual maturity at a late age. Another frequently consumed lobster is the Norway lobster. This species is way smaller than the American and European lobster. This species occurs in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and parts of the Mediterranean sea.

Brown crab

The brown crab is a large, reddish-brown crab with large and very strong chela’s (claws). Although most parts of this crab are edible, the claws are sold most often and are even regarded as a delicacy in some countries. The brown crab is common along the coasts of the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea and lives at depths of up to 300 m. They prefer rocky bottoms or ship wrecks and feed on other crustaceans and molluscs.

Brown crab

Cancer pagurus

Origin

North Sea (FAO 27)
Deelgebieden: Atlantic Ocean, northeast

Farming- / Catch method

Pots and traps

Minder tonen Toon beoordeling

Fish stocks and fishing pressure

Ecosystem effects

Fishery management

Final assessment

Explanation assessment

The status of the stock of the brown crab in the North Sea, around the Scottish coast and along the Norwegian coast is currently uncertain. Available data is limited, and numbers and catches are declining in some areas. Fishing pressure appears to be too high in parts of its distribution range to be sustainable in the long term.

Fishing with pots and traps is generally selective and has little impact on the ecosystem. The method causes little damage to the seabed but can lead to marine mammal entanglement and occasional ghost fishing. The amount of bycatch and discards is not known in all areas.

The stock is only partially monitored, and there are no catch limits for the species. In several areas, a clear management strategy and sufficient data on the fishery are lacking. Management of this species is partially effective.

Brown crab

Cancer pagurus

Origin

Mediterranean Sea (FAO 37)
Deelgebieden: Atlantic Ocean, northeast

Farming- / Catch method

Bottom otter trawl, Bottom trawls

Minder tonen Toon beoordeling

Fish stocks and fishing pressure

Ecosystem effects

Fishery management

Final assessment

Explanation assessment

The last assessment of this fishery was conducted in 2016.

Little information is available on the stock of brown crab in the Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. The stock size is unknown, and fishing pressure appears to be too high for the fishery to be sustainable in the long term.

Fishing with trawls can have major negative impacts on the ecosystem because they are dragged across the seabed. Bycatch of other species, including threatened and protected species, is likely and is regularly observed.

The stock is partially monitored, but no catch limits have been established. Management of this species is partially effective.

Brown crab

Cancer pagurus

Origin

Atlantic Ocean, northeast (FAO 27)

Farming- / Catch method

Pots and traps

Minder tonen Toon beoordeling

Fish stocks and fishing pressure

Ecosystem effects

Fishery management

Final assessment

Explanation assessment

Little information is available on the stock of brown crab in the Celtic Sea, the Western English Channel and Irish waters. The stock size is uncertain and is only just above the limit in some areas. Fishing pressure is too high and could lead to a further decline in the stock in the long term.

Fishing with pots and traps is relatively selective and generally has little impact on the ecosystem. However, this fishery can disturb sensitive habitats locally, and lost pots and traps can lead to ghost fishing. Bycatch and the number of discards are not well known.

The stock is partially monitored, but no catch limits have been established. Measures are in place to regulate the fishery and combat illegal fishing, but it is uncertain whether these are sufficient to maintain the stock at a sustainable level. Management of this species is partially effective.

Brown crab

General

Lobsters and crayfish

Brown crab

Brown crab

Brown crab

Brown crab

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