Porthleven Crab Processing Plant

The Mayor of Helston Arthur Lee visits a crab processing plant in Porthleven Cornwall. Twenty thousand tonnes of edible or brown crabs are landed annually in the UK with a large proportion coming from off the south coast of Devon and Cornwall. Crabs are also exported to France and Spain. Traditional crab pots are used and thought to have a lower environmental impact. The crab fishery is managed and minimum size restrictions have been in place since the sixties.

The edible crab is so-called because its crimped pie crust edge makes it look like a pasty. These crabs are put to sleep in cold water or a fridge before being boiled, cooled and picked. Male crabs are cocks with sweet white meat and females are hens with more rich brown meat and coral. Some crab fisheries are thought to be sustainable because of the practice of declawing. Crabs are known to self-amputate to survive and regrow claws but although declawing is legal in the UK, evidence suggests that not many crabs may survive it. A popular dish and local speciality is dressed crab where the brown and white meat is placed back in the cleaned out shell or carapace for presentation.