Good Crabbing Practice

We all love the fun of dangling a line with a bit of bacon tied on, over the side of the quay in the hope of catching the biggest crab. We want everyone to continue to enjoy this great seaside past time but we also want to make sure our lovely crabs don’t get hurt in the process.

If you follow the list of 'Dos and Don’ts' below, it will ensure that our crabs will not suffer any unintentional harm and will stop them becoming too stressed. So here goes....

Don’t .... put too many crabs in one bucket. Stick to 10 per pail Do .... add rocks and seaweed to the bucket to help replicate the crab’s natural environment and reduce stress Don’t .... keep them all day long – return them to sea Do .... change the water every 10 minutes to avoid asphyxiation. Only keep the crabs in sea water. Don’t .... store your bucket in the sun Don’t .... use a line with a hook on. Either tie your bacon on or use an old pair of tights/bit of net to hold your bacon in. Do .... hold your crab correctly - gently hold it either side of its shell or pick it up with one finger on top of the shell and one finger underneath - avoiding the claws though! Do .... remove any crabs which are fighting - male crabs tend to be more aggressive than the ladies. Do .... remember to take all your equipment and rubbish home with you. Do... go crabbing. When done responsibly, crabbing is an excellent way to introduce children to the marine ecology. Happy crabbing!