BROWN CRAB
- Mainly caught by creel in Shetland’s inshore waters
- Females (hens) are caught on softer, sandy bottom. They tend to have more rich brown meat.
- Males (cocks) found on harder, rocky bottoms and they tend to have more of the sweet white meat.
- They are fished all year round but caught in higher numbers with warmer water temperatures.
THE RICH WATERS AROUND THE ISLANDS YIELD A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST OF WILD SHELLFISH
Landed within hours of being caught, local processors are committed to ensuring that the freshest shellfish – including scallops, lobster and crabs – are prepared, packed and delivered direct to the customer, always maintaining superb quality.
Unique in Scotland, the Shetland shellfish catching industry manages its own inshore shellfish fisheries out to a six-mile limit through a Regulating Order. This pro-active approach to self-regulation by the shellfish fishermen, working closely with the NAFC Marine Centre on scientific evidence of stock management, has led to some remarkable and positive developments in managing and sustaining this important fishery.
VELVET CRAB
- Found on rocky substrates down to depths of 25m, tucked away in crevices
- Do not undertake extensive migrations
- Velvets get their name from the fine velvety texture of their shell
- Fast moving and aggressive.
DID YOU KNOW?
Crabs walk sideways because of the way their legs are attached
SCALLOPS
- Scallops and queen scallops thrive in Shetland’s cool, clear waters and are available all year round
- Surprisingly fast – they swim by rapidly opening and closing their shells
- Hermaphrodites – they are both male and female
- Filter feeder – suck and squirt water all day
- King Scallops can live up to 20 years although they are usually harvested at around 3 – 5 years.
LOBSTER
- They are invertebrates – protecting themselves with their hard exoskeleton
- Bottom dwellers – they like to hide on harder rock bottoms and natural reefs and rocks
- Out of 10,000 eggs it is thought that only 10 will survive
- They navigate by smell, taste with their feet and listen with their legs.
DID YOU KNOW?
Scallops have 60 – 100 blue eyes which detect light, dark and motion – usually from predators
DID YOU KNOW?
Once considered a pest species, velvet crab have bright red eyes and are sometimes called the Devil or Witch crab.
FROM SEA TO PLATE
Crab and Lobsters
FROM SEA TO PLATE
Scallops
PARTNERS:
