Grading Velvet Crab

A weeks catch of crab is being sorted ready for export to Spain on Monday. Mostly it is Velvet Crab but there are also some Brown Crab. The Brown Crab are sorted so that only live crab are exported whereas the Velvet are sorted for size and life. Dead crustacea cannot be sold so have to be returned to the sea.

Weight for weight the Velvet crab are worth four times the price of Brown Crab. It is all very strange because a few years ago the Velvet were simply put back in the sea as there was no demand for them.

The lads go through this process every Sunday in preparation for selling the catch the following day. They always have an audience. It is good entertainment for visitors and locals alike, particularly on a warm Sunday morning such as this.