Influence of cooking, refrigeration, and freezing on size of blue swimmer crabs, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Abstract

Shrinkage of crustaceans as a result of cooking and processing is an enforcement problem for fisheries management agencies throughout the world when size is regulated. Here we show that the carapace of blue swimmer crabs, Portunus pelagicus shrinks as a result of various cooking and processing practices, however, this shrinkage is marginal. There is only a 5% chance that a crab that was 15 cm (current minimum legal size) when first caught would decrease by more than 0.9 mm as a result of common cooking and processing practices. Fisheries compliance agencies should, therefore, build in a small degree of measurement tolerance (1 mm) in their enforcement of the size regulations for this species. RÉSUMÉLa diminution de taille des crustacés, suite à leur cuisson et à leur préparation constitue un problème pour les organismes de gestion des pêches à travers le monde, quand la taille est réglementée. Dans ce travail, nous montrons que la carapace du crabe Portunus pelagicus se rétrécit à la suite de divers procédés de cuisson et de préparation, mais ce rétrécissement est peu important. Il y a seulement 5% de chances pour qu'un crabe mesurant 15 cm (taille minimum légale de pêche) juste pêché diminue de plus de 0,9 mm après les procédés habituels de cuisson et de préparation. Les agences de gestion des pêches devraient, par conséquent, inclure un degré minime de tolérance sur la mesure (1 mm), dans leur règlementation concernant les tailles légales de pêche pour cette espèce.Uncertainty about the shrinkage of seafood products as a result of various post capture handling and processing procedures is becoming a significant concern of many fisheries enforcement agencies and has been the subject of recent studies dealing with both fish (Morison et al.,

Comparison of gender differences in biochemical composition and nutritional value of various edible parts of the blue swimmer crab

“…This crab species supports important fisheries in many countries of the region, and is not only consumed locally as a sought-after seafood item, but is also exported extensively to the US and European markets as pasteurized crabmeat products (Camacho and Aypa, 2001;Romano and Zeng, 2008). Various blue swimmer crab products, including traditional hard shell crab, soft shell crab, canned or refrigerated pasteurized crabmeat and cocktail claws, are consumed worldwide (Sumpton, 2005;Saraswathy et al, 2006;Romano and Zeng, 2008). However, the characteristics of its nutritional composition and quality have not been sufficiently studied.…”