The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has photographic evidence from trained MCS Seasearch divers that brown (or edible) crabs are being maimed in the St Kilda World Heritage site, one of only 30 sites worldwide with this designation. The unfortunate practice draws attention to the limited protection given to the marine environment in Scotland.

St Kilda is the jewel in the crown of Scotland’s marine environment, designated both a World Heritage site and a European Marine Site, and yet even here brown, or edible crabs, are being found still alive on the reef with both claws removed, where they are likely to die slowly of starvation. Brown crabs are currently caught around St Kilda by creel fishermen, some are landed whole but others have their claws removed before they are thrown back into the sea.

The MCS Seasearch diver who photographed the crab said “I went to St Kilda to dive in what I thought was a pristine World Heritage site but, far from pristine, I was horrified to find mutilated edible crabs instead.”

Calum Duncan, MCS Scottish Conservation Manager and Seasearch Scotland co-ordinator said
”Though legal, the practice of claw removal is both cruel and unsustainable, and for it to be happening at such a prestigious site highlights how far we have to go to properly protect our seas. Current laws make it difficult to properly protect St Kilda, and other sites in Scotland, from damaging activities. There has been a lot of excellent work seeking voluntary solutions but a new way of managing the seas is needed that recognises a healthy, functioning marine environment is the bedrock of all economic activity at sea. A Scottish Marine Bill is urgently needed to overhaul the outdated way we manage our seas.”

Richard Luxmoore, Head of Nature Conservation for the National Trust for Scotland said:
"NTS manages the islands of St Kilda but currently has no control over the marine portion of the World Heritage Site. We are working with the Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage to see if we can assist in preparing the management scheme that is urgently needed to ensure that this outstanding part of Scotland's sea is managed appropriately."

Professor Robert Elwood and colleagues at Queens University Belfast have recently completed a study showing that the declawing of crabs is not sustainable. He says “We have recently found that crabs that have one claw physically removed show a strong physiological stress response that is not shown when they naturally cast-off. Crabs that naturally cast-off one claw all survived but 18% of those with one claw removed (in a manner used in fisheries throughout Europe and the US) died, and those that died had larger wounds than those that survived. There can be little doubt that had both claws been removed in our study, a considerably higher mortality would be seen. With both claws removed crabs cannot open mollusc shells to obtain food and thus, if they survive the wounds caused by declawing, they will probably starve to death.”

MCS advice to seafood consumers given on our www.fishonline.org website is as follows: Many crab populations are overfished and reduced to unsustainable levels. Do not eat undersized animals below the legal minimum landing sizes or egg bearing crabs, or during their winter spawning or breeding time. Avoid eating crab claws unless it can be proven that they have been removed from the crab during processing, as claws may have been removed from live crabs and the rest of the body discarded at sea. Choose crabs that have been caught in pots, the most sustainable method of fishing for crabs.

Calum Duncan concluded “Since claws can be regenerated, some view the practice of claw removal as sustainable. However, only large crabs are fished for their claws and these grow slowly and moult infrequently so they will inevitably starve before the claws can regenerate. We would therefore like to see the practice of landing only crab claws outlawed.”

MCS Press Contact:

Calum Duncan (MCS Scottish Conservation Manager) 0131 226 6360

E-mail: scotland@mcsuk.org  Address:   Marine Conservation Society
Websites: www.mcsuk.org    3 Coates Place
www.seasearch.org.uk   Edinburgh
        EH3 7AA
        0131 226 6360
Editors Notes:

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK charity dedicated to the protection of our seas, shores and wildlife. Since its formation in 1983, MCS has become a recognised authority on marine and coastal conservation and is regularly consulted by the UK Government and Scottish Executive for its views on a range of marine issues. MCS provides information and guidance on many aspects of marine conservation and produces the annual Good Beach Guide (www.goodbeachguide.co.uk) and Good Fish Guide (www.fishonline.org), as well as promoting public participation in volunteer projects and surveys such as Beachwatch, Adopt-a-Beach and Basking Shark Watch. See www.mcsuk.org for more information.

UK and Scottish Marine Bills
MCS is campaigning for the UU Government to introduce a UK Marine Bill in the next Parliamentary session. A UK Marine Bill is urgently needed to provide better protection for marine species and habitats and establish a planning system for the sustainable management of the marine environment. Since the Scottish Government is responsible for most matters within 12 nautical miles (including marine conservation, fisheries, aquaculture and renewable energy) and some matters out to 200nm (including fisheries and aspects of renewable energy), MCS in Scotland, in partnership with other organisations within Scottish Environment LINK, is campaigning for a Scottish Marine Bill to dovetail with the UK Marine Bill. For further information see www.mcsuk.org or contact Calum Duncan, MCS Scottish Conservation Manager on 0131 226 6360.

www.fishonline.org is the comprehensive and highly acclaimed MCS website on sustainable seafood. The website has a Simple and an Advanced search function, depending on the detail of information required by the consumer about each fish. As well as entries for nearly 150 different species and stocks, the site includes information on status of fish stocks, impacts of fishing and labelling schemes. There is also a glossary with definitions for terminology that users may not be familiar with and a guide to the different fishing methods used and their impacts. Maps of the world's fishing areas are also included. New features added in 2006 include a guide to when fish breed; a comparison of the effects of different fishing gears; a guide to where to buy fish from the Fish to Eat list; and additional information on farmed fish and other species. The FISHonline website was originally designed by Juniperblue, with the financial support of Marks & Spencers plc, and first launched in August 2004.

MCS is grateful the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation for their support of the MCS programme to promote sustainable seafood.

Seasearch
Seasearch is a UK-wide volunteer underwater survey project for recreational divers, enabling them to contribute to protecting marine wildlife through recording underwater habitats and the plants and animals they support. Seasearch provides training for volunteer divers and organises dives and survey expeditions. Seasearch is co-ordinated in Scotland by the MCS Scottish Conservation Manager. See www.seasearch.org.uk for further details or call Calum Duncan on 0131 226 6360.

The National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland is the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to enjoy. With over 297,000 members it is the largest conservation charity in Scotland and it depends for its support on donations, legacies, grants and membership subscriptions. See www.nts.org.uk for details.

Queens University, Belfast crab de-clawing study - Physiological stress responses in the edible crab, Cancer pagurus , to the fishery practice of de-clawing by Lynsey Patterson, Jaimie T. A. Dick and Professor Robert W. Elwood. Marine Biology Volume 152, Number 2 / August, 2007. An article on this paper featured on the New Scientist website (http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19526223.200). Professor Robert Elwood and colleagues measured how much de-clawing increased stress and affected crab survival.

Scottish Environment LINK Marine Bill campaign – MCS in Scotland chairs the Scottish Environment LINK campaign for a Scottish Marine Bill.  LINK is an umbrella body for Scotland’s voluntary environmental organisations representing approximately half a million members throughout Scotland. LINK has just employed a Marine Bill Research Officer and Marine Bill Campaigns Officer to lobby for delivery of a Scottish Marine Bill that delivers proper protection and management for Scotland’s seas. We are very grateful to the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and Tubney Charitable Trust for funding these new posts.