Crabs belonging to arthropods are considered the highest crustaceans of the same order. They are found almost everywhere on our planet. Sea crab has five pairs of legs, while the first of them has evolved into two powerful claws. The sizes of these short-tailed crayfish or Brachyura, as they are scientifically called, are different: they depend on the species. Typically, sea crab has a shell with a width of two to thirty centimeters, although larger specimens are also found.
Where do crabs live?
Being close relatives of cancers, Brachyura differ from their relatives in the first place by the absence of a tail-abdomen. In fact, it is present in crabs, but it is very small and bent under the chest. Sea crab failed to turn into a purely terrestrial arthropod. His life is closely connected with the water element, only in which he can multiply. In nature, there are about four hundred species of crabs. Almost all of them live in water and how fish breathe using gills. Some crabs move more along the seabed, others swim on the surface of the sea, and there are those who live under the rocks on the coast.
Many Brachyura are edible: their meat is highly regarded. It is not only rich in protein, but also contains very little fat. Crabs are found on rocky European coasts, where they are caught in large quantities.
However, the Kamchatka crab has been the best commercial species for quite some time. It can be found in the seas of the Far East - Okhotsk, Japan and Bering. Due to the incredible tasty and delicate meat, the Kamchatka sea crab has become an object for industrial fishing. But at present, its livestock has declined sharply, so zoologists are trying to breed it in artificial conditions. The crabs inhabiting the waters of the Black Sea are also diverse. However, they do not have commercial value.
How to catch crabs
I must say that the fishing of the fish and the capture of Brachyura are completely different processes from each other. Nevertheless, catching crabs is no less interesting than pulling a trophy specimen from a fish out of the water. There are several ways to prey on these short-tailed crayfish. Sea crab hiding under the stones far from noisy crowded places. Many lovers, putting on a mask and fins, dive to a shallow depth and, finding it, put it in a fishing tackle made of durable material. Such crab fishing is more suitable for tourists, vacationers, for example, on the Black Sea. It should be remembered that Brachyura has quite sharp claws, so it is better to use thick gloves.
Pot use
This special crab trap is a container made of wire. In practice, this is a metal mesh stretched over the rims. The pot has an entrance called the "neck". It is in it that prey enters in order to feast on the bait. The pot is designed in such a way that even hitting it. Crabs do not have the ability to access it, in addition, they can no longer get out of the trap.
It is believed that the pot was invented in 1920 by Benjamin F. Lewis. It is considered the most common method for catching crab and is widely used throughout the world. A fishing trap in the form of a pot with a rope lowers several meters in depth. If there are crabs in this place, then after half an hour the catch is provided.
We catch with a trot
A hunter who chooses this fishing method needs to know a few secrets. Crab fishing with the help of a trot, although it requires some effort and time spent, nevertheless it makes it possible to count on a rich catch. Consider this method in more detail. The trot is a line that is anchored between the buoys along with the bait. The installation process is quite laborious, but such crab fishing always gives good results. Arthropods capture the bait, staying on the line. Crab fishing for trot requires not only dexterity, but also the necessary attributes. For it you will need: a boat, a fishing tackle, several buoys (from two to five pieces), thick gloves, a bait, hooks, an anchor, a box of ice, in which prey, rope and fishing line are placed.
Features of trot fishing
First of all, you need to go to sea on a boat and establish a trot. From the shore, this will not work. For this, two buoys are connected to each other with a fishing line about one meter long. Then, a line with an anchor is attached to one of them. Hooks with bait are attached to the fishing line. Crabs are active in the morning and late in the evening. It was during this period that they should be collected. To do this, take a fishing cage, which neatly folded crab removed from the bait. Be sure to use gloves. Experienced crabbolders install several trots with different types of nozzles at once.
The best time to install this gear is the morning that comes after a hot and stuffy night, because that is when crabs are most active. Trot is removed in the first half, when production is more sluggish and it is unlikely that it will be freed from the line when it is pulled. Experienced crabbolders say that this tackle should be installed parallel to the shore in those places where the bottom goes far down. Usually these are sections between depths of five and twelve feet.
Bait selection
Crab fishing primarily depends on the right bait. Usually, many professionals conduct an experiment by planting different baits in a pot. Crab loves frozen fish, chicken necks, various shellfish or raw meat. He rarely refuses them. Frozen fish is best suited because it breaks up quickly, unlike fresh fish, and this attracts prey. Commercial crabbers consider eel to be the best bait, but in our country this is somewhat expensive.
Hands catch
Crab fishing in this way is best done offshore near reefs, as well as under large stones, where these arthropods often crawl. When there are no waves, catching them is not difficult. The most suitable time for catching crab this method is considered morning hours or twilight.
If a person decided to catch Brachyura in this way, then he will need a folding knife. Having found the place where this arthropod is hiding, you need to slip a blade into it so that it grabs it, and then sharply pull it out. It is better to catch not alone, but with an assistant. In this case, one throws the crab with a knife, and the other immediately catches it in the net.
Industrial capture
Since 1994, experimental crab fishing has begun in our country, and since 2004, industrial fishing. Today, fishing is conducted mainly in the Barents and Norwegian Seas. According to experts, in 2016 it amounted to thirty percent of the global catch for this type of production. From year to year, the catch quota changes. There were years when she was even banned. Crab fishing today, despite the danger of the process, is attractive to many fishermen. Indeed, the valuable meat of this arthropod is highly appreciated. Without difficulty, you can catch only those types of crabs that for their sale do not represent any value, for example, marble or swimmer.
Rare species
In the Bering Sea, one of the rarest species, which is a delicacy, lives. Its meat has a very high value. Red king crab is caught only for a very short time - only a week. This period is called by many as the “gold rush", because, regardless of weather conditions, almost all fishermen go to sea to hunt. The conditions for catching the king crab are extremely dangerous, but this does not stop anyone. Crab fishing in the Barents Sea annually takes up to ten or more lives this season.
Recently, a new method of capture has been used off the coast of Kamchatka. Some lovers catch a crab on the most common fishing rod. A fresh cod filet or other fish is used as a hook attachment. Kamchatka crab is a strong follower of instincts, so it does not let go of the swallowed bait even when the fisherman pulls it out of the sea. I must say that such fishing for crabs is carried out solely on the basis of sports interest. In most cases, the angler who pulled the prey immediately releases it back.