Shore crabs have major consequences for biodiversity below the sea surface, as they destroy eelgrass and sweep the seabed clean of algae-eating small animals, fish fry, etc. The problem is so severe that the Danish Society for Nature Conservation is encouraging people to catch and eat the crab.
The ten-legged crustacean is also a nuisance for fishermen, as it clogs their nets and must be discarded because there are few buyers for the small, meager crab.
That is why researchers from DTU Aqua and the DTU Food Institute, through the KRABFISK project, are investigating how shore crab fishing can be made economically sustainable for fishermen—a challenge, according to Lorenzo Chinellato, a PhD student at the DTU Food Institute:
"The crab has value as a raw material, but it isn't particularly sought after by consumers. If fishermen have to expend a lot of energy storing it at the port, the price goes up—and that makes it even less attractive for both fishermen and consumers."
What now?
The current challenge is to find a method for storing the crabs so they do not spoil before being transported to the factory. At the same time, the solution must reduce energy consumption and make it possible to store them at the port year-round—without cold storage or other expensive facilities.
Laboratory experiments using brine combined with a specific bacterial strain that inhibits unwanted bacteria have shown promising results. After a full month, Lorenzo Chinellato could not detect any growth of pathogenic microorganisms, which strengthens the hope for a sustainable solution that can significantly extend shelf life.
It has not yet been determined exactly which product the crabs will be incorporated into. However, the researchers are considering using them as flavor enhancers or converting their protein-rich biomass into large-scale protein production for use in, among other things, animal feed.
