Under EU regulations, it is not illegal for fishermen to engage in the practice of clawing crabs per se. For catches of crabs made by pots or creels, a maximum of 1% by weight of the total catch of crabs, may be retained onboard as claws during any fishing voyage or landed at the end of any fishing voyage. For catches of crabs made by any fishing gear other than pots or creels, a maximum of 75 kg of detached crab claws may be retained on board at any moment during a fishing voyage or may be landed at the end of a fishing voyage.
With regard to the processing of crabs, there is no legal limitation on whether claws are processed separately. There is a valuable market for both whole crabs and crabmeat products, including crab claws.
The regulation limiting the amount of crab claws that may be landed by fishermen is monitored and controlled as part of a range of conservation regulations enforced by the sea fishery officers of my Department. There have been no prosecutions taken with regard to the landing of crab claws in the last five years. However, sea fishery officers have been checking the level of compliance with the regulation and acting according to the results of the inspections.
The viability and sustainability of the crab fishery is of great concern to me and is being developed and protected within the framework of measures, including licensing, inspection, and management of inshore fisheries.
