something I never knew ....

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

just spoke to some guys from Qld Fisheries at the airport & they were discussing the soft shell automated crab farm at pinkenbah (which I also didn't know existed).

Apparently...

When a crab sheads its shell the "soft shell" that is exposed only lasts for a matter of hours before hardening.

The reason a crab in the wild is empty when it has a new shell is because it pumps this soft shell up with seawater to approx 33% greater than its original size & it then hardens. The crab then grows more muscle to fill the shell.
I didn't know that.
I found that interesting.

chris

[jimbamb]

Thats probably why i got a big one as few weeks ago that was full of water,an no meat, hadnt seen it before.Interesting ,,ya learn every day!!!!!

[bungie]

any way of picking this from the outside ?? seems a shame to kill an buck if you can tell its empty.

[basserman]

tap his shell if it knock toss him back but if it clunks hes nice and full ;D
but that is still only roughly but alot of the pros know by the sound and feel so i guess after awhile you learn the diffrance ;D

[jaybee]

Another way is at the extreme point where u measure a crab, flip him upside down and push in with ya thumb, if he is soft he is empty.
cheers
Joe

[firetruck]

Just as a follow on. I think soft shell sandcrabs are a bit of a delicasy in the cooking world. I don't know much about them bu t apprentaly they cook them shell and all and you are supposed to eat the whole thing.

[Blue_Escape]

Yes, that's right Firetruck it comes out crispy sort of like a "crab shaped" Dim Sum!

[firetruck]

Any good to eat Blue_escape?

[bugman]

Some people I know have one of the contracts to supply the soft shell factory.

They can't keep the crabs up to him. They predominantly chase the 3 spots and have been working areas of the northern bay and Sunshine coast that haven't really been explored before for crabbing.

The 3 spot was always by-catch. Now it's a commercially viable via the export industry. The crabs fetch a fortune overseas and the contract is paying quite handsomely for the friends of mine.

Brett

[drevil]

I was at the Powerhouse arts complex at New Farm one Sunday some time ago and DPI set up a barbie where they grilled heaps of thses soft shelled crabs and dishing them out for free to all comers.

They tasted great and you are right, firetruck, you eat em shell & all! And they were delicious.

[bidkev]

tap his shell if it knock toss him back but if it clunks hes nice and full ;D
but that is still only roughly but alot of the pros know by the sound and feel so i guess after awhile you learn the diffrance ;D

Hi Chris.

In the UK, softbacks (softies) and peelers, are the prime bait in the months of May to july and in some places the fish won't look at any other feed. The species targeted by bait collectors are mainly shore crab which grow to about 10cms.

I used to collect them professionaly (as a diversion from worm digging) by feeling around the groynes on piers and breakwaters, and rock walls.......tricky business :-) but good bucks.

The softies were instantly recognisable (obviously) but the way to tell a peeler was to snap the joint on the back leg with a slight twist, and slowly pull the leg at an angle. The piece of leg remaining in the hand should reveal meat which had pulled from the leg remaining on the crab, as opposed to "white slime".

After a time doing this, you get to know a peeler just by looking at it, just as you can recognise a jenny without turning it. Colouration, broader back carapace? I don't know, but it just happens that the old brain clicks onto something.

Softies were also found clinging underneath larger crabs, which were in turn, about to peel. Whether they were partners or not, I don't know. The European edible crab also acts in this way, and they aren't that dissimilar in appearance to muddies.

I've had a few softies and peelers here and they make excellent bait. If you come across any, the softies can be cut into manageable pieces and tied to the hook with elasticated cotton, The peelers are firmer and stay on themselves if you leave some shell on. Just lift the carapace off. The legs are a most excellent bait. Pull off each joint slowly and you should be left with a "softie" leg that can be threaded on the hook, just as you do with a worm.

I'm puzzled as to why I have never seen this advice in an Australian fishing mag or book, because as I say, I've used 'em, and just as in the UK, they are a killer bait.

kev

[harryhoy]

The US have a massive soft shell crab market. They target a species called Callinectes sapidus or blue crab. They can tell a peeler from the colours on the swimming leg - the colouring changes depending on what stage they are at in the molting process. I was aware that Aust. fishers where exporting crabs to these markets, but didnt know in what volumes.

A few years ago, the sand crab was targeted but the yanks like the smaller blue crab (carapace width of 10cm) which excluded the sandie, but as pointed out earlier 3 spots are perfect for this market. Are these harvested by pro crabbers or trawlers?

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

the famous "maltese cross" is a sure sign on a muddie they'll be empty. I for some reason always thought crabs simply lost condition when shedding & growing a new shell - I never knew they actually made a bigger shell to grow into.

kev,
that's filthy info for bay parrot chasers, ta.

chris

[bidkev]

[quote author=CHRIS_aka_GWH <snip>

kev,
that's filthy info for bay parrot chasers, ta.

chris[/quote]

You're welcome.........I thought I may bore the arse off yer :-)

kev

[Justme]

A mate of mine in Dalby is an major investor in that soft shell crab setup at Pinkenba. He's an accountant among other things so he can afford it. Can't remember the cost exactly but it was in the millions. They're targeting the Jap market.
Cheers
Larry