Good Fish Guide
Your guide to sustainable seafood
You can play a key role in securing the future of our seas and marine wildlife by making more environmentally responsible choices when buying seafood.
Our seas face a wide range of threats - click to expand
Our seas face a wide range of threats. Climate change, pollution, habitat and biodiversity loss are all impacting our seas; plus 90% of global fish stocks are either fully or over-exploited. All these factors combined mean that urgent action is needed to restore the health of our seas. Fish farming (aquaculture) is rapidly expanding to meet increasing demand for seafood, but if this is done badly it can also damage the environment and exacerbate these other problems.
Use the Good Fish Guide to find out which fish are the most sustainable (Green rated), and which are the least sustainable (Red rated). Make the right choice and reduce your impact – every purchase matters! Find out more about our seafood work, including how we develop our seafood ratings, plus sustainable seafood recipes and more.
You searched for "brown crab"
Crab, brown or edible
Cancer pagurus
Brown crab, also known as edible crab, is the heaviest British crab and looks a bit like a pie on legs with its distinctive reddish-brown shell and pastry crust rim. About a third of the weight of the crab is meat, two thirds is white and
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third is brown. It's used to make 'dressed crab' where the shell is cleaned out and used as the dish. Crab is also used to make fish cakes, crab sticks and paste. Brown crabs mature at about 10 years and averagely lives for 30 years, but some have been known to go on till they're 100!
The vast majority of brown crabs in the UK are caught by potting. This is a low impact and relatively selective method of fishing, any bycatch or discards can be returned alive to the sea with high survival rates. Brown crab from the Inshore Potting Agreement Area in Devon, the Western Channel or Cornwall are the best choices for crab in the UK. Avoid eating crabs below the minimum landing size (13-14 cm in most areas of the UK) and crab claws, unless it is certain they have been removed from the animal after landing. Egg-bearing or "berried" females should be avoided at all times to allow them to spawn.
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Western Channel
Stock detail — VIIe
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Scotland
Stock detail — Shetland
Certification — Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Western Channel
Stock detail — Devon Inshore Potting Area
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail — 7e
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Scotland
Stock detail — Orkney
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Celtic Sea
Stock detail — VIIg
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Irish Sea
Stock detail — 7a
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Wales
Stock detail — Pembrokeshire
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Eastern English Channel
Stock detail — VIId
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Central North Sea
Stock detail — IVb
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail — 7f, 7g
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail — 7e
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Capture method — Pot or creel
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Southern North Sea
Stock detail — 4c
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Capture method — Gill or fixed net
Capture area — North East Atlantic (FAO 27)
Stock area — Cornwall
Stock detail — 7f, 7g
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