Our Shellfish

Lobster – Homarus gammarus

This is a crustacean from the family Decapoda (ten limbs) with a dark blue exoskeleton that goes red when cooked. Lobsters have two claws, one for crushing and one for slicing.

They are found from Scandinavia to North Africa, where they live in solitary shelters in rocky seabed areas. They can grow up to 600mm (total length) but are usually caught at around 300mm. The main season is from July to September.

The legal minimum landing size for a European Lobster is a carapace (head) length of 87mm. This allows a female to produce eggs at least once, ensuring a continuation of breeding stock. Another conservation measure employed by fishermen is to put a ‘v-notch’ (two small v-shaped cuts) in the tail of the lobster which is visible for several shell casts. It is illegal to land a v-notched lobster making this an effective conservation tool.

Brown Crab – Cancer pagurus

Also known as Edible Crab, this crustacean from the family Decapoda (ten limbs) has a reddish-brown exoskeleton and black-tipped claws.

They are found from Scandinavia to Portugal and are known to travel large distances, especially when spawning. They can grow up to 250mm but are usually landed at around 140mm.

An extra conservation measure for the brown crab is that it is illegal to land berried (egg-bearing) animals. This ensures that a female crab can reproduce before being landed. The main landing times are spring and autumn.

Velvet Crab – Necora puber

This dark brown crustacean has a soft hairy back (hence its name) and distinctive red eyes. It is also known as the Velvet Swimming Crab as it has flat back legs that are used for swimming. They can grow up to 100mm and have a minimum landing size of 65mm, measured across the back.

The main season is April to July.