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Description: The Dungeness crab belongs to
the hardshell crab family. Its shell is light reddishbrown
on back and sometimes has a purple splotch
toward the front. The underside is white to light
orange. Its claws are white-tipped, and the tip of the
last tail segment flap is rounded. While a male
Dungeness crab can grow to a shell width of 230 mm
(9 inches), the size limit for harvest in British Columbia
is 165 mm (6 1/2 inches) across the maximum breadth
of the shell. Most Dungeness crab weigh between
680 grams (1 1/2 lbs) and 1.4 kg (3 lbs).
This crab species has a sweet, mild and slightly
nutty taste with tender body meat and slightly
firmer leg meat.
Product Forms: Dungeness crab is available
whole (live, fresh-cooked or frozen), and as leg
and body meat. The leg and body meat is available
fresh-cooked, frozen or canned.
Availability: Dungeness crab is harvested in
Canada in all months. Most landings however occur
from May to October.
Buying Tips: When buying Dungeness crabs,
look for meat that is opaque white and for an aroma
that is fresh, mild and not fishy. Live crabs should
be active in their holding tanks. The shell colour
of whole cooked crabs should be bright red. Avoid
frozen crab meat that appears freezer burned or
discoloured. As well, avoid crabs that are soft-shelled
and light-weight since they have been harvested too
early and their shells will not yet be full.
Storing Tips: Live Dungeness crabs can be
stored in well-aerated tanks for several weeks, but
should be used on the day that they are purchased.
Raw crabmeat should be cooked within 24 hours
after the crab dies, frozen crab meat should be
stored for no longer than 4 months and canned
crab should be used within 6 months.
Fresh-cooked crabs should be stored at around
0° C (32° F) and never above 4.5° C (40° F), while
frozen crabs should be stored at -23° C (-10° F).
Preparation/Usage: When buying whole
Dungeness crabs, the yield is usually 25%. Live
crabs, that weigh about 1 kg (2 lbs), should be
boiled in salted water for approximately 10 to 12
minutes, cooled and then cracked. When preparing
a whole crab for use, the viscera should be cleanly
removed since it may contain heat-resistant
biotoxins.
Dungeness crab can be fried, steamed, broiled or
included as an ingredient with a combination of other
seafoods. It is eaten hot or cold, but most enjoyed
in its plainest form, simply plucked from the shell
and eaten with drawn butter and good bread.
Area of Origin and Range of Availability:
Dungeness crab is found all along the west coast
of North America from the Aleutian Islands in
Alaska to Mexico.
Dungeness crab is found all along the west coast
of North America from the Aleutian Islands in
Alaska to Mexico.
Harvest Volume: While approximately 2,700
metric tonnes of Dungeness crab were harvested in
2000, the average volume harvested between 1990
and 1999 was 3,865 tonnes.
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Harvest Method: Dungeness crabs are most
commonly harvested using traps or ring nets. Most
traps are a frame covered with stainless wire to form
an enclosure that includes a one-way entrance.
Some trap frames are covered with web. A ring net
is a circular frame holding a bag of web which
captures the crab when it crosses the frame edge
and the frame is lifted. Occasionally Dungeness crabs
are also collected from shallow waters by hand using
SCUBA or dip nets.
Processing Method: While some Dungeness
crabs are sold live, others are processed and sold
fresh-cooked or as shelled meat.
Markets: Dungeness crabs are primarily shipped
live to world markets, with the United States being
the major market.
Sustainability: Size limits and the restriction
on harvesting any female crabs are the primary
conservation measures in place in the Dungeness
crab fishery. In British Columbia, the size limit is
165 mm (6 1/2 inches) across the maximum breadth
of the carapace. This measure is designed to protect
sexually mature males for at least 1 year and all
female crabs since the female species rarely exceeds
this size limit. While licences were introduced in
1990, other conservation measures include
biodegradable escapement devices on traps to limit
ghost fishing, escape holes to allow small crabs out
of traps and seasonal closures. In addition, the
number of boats on the British Columbian coast is
fixed at 224, and the number of traps is restricted.
Historical and Anecdotal Information:
The Dungeness crab is one of 35 true crabs living in
Canada’s Pacific waters and is the most important
species of crab harvested in British Columbia. While
the “Dungeness” name is derived from a fishing port
on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, its Latin name
loosely translates as “chief ” or “principal” crab.
Dungeness crab has been commercially harvested
in British Columbia for over a century. While the first
recorded commercial landings were in 1885,
Aboriginal people were harvesting the crab prior to
the European arrival in North America.
Until the 1950s, nearly all the catch was canned, but
after the Second World War, markets developed for
fresh-cooked and live crab.
Other Species: Tanner crab is a large deepwater
spider crab noted for its scarlet/orange colour, deep
brown eye colour and long, thin legs. Currently, this
is a limited exploratory commercial fishery, for which
a market needs to be developed.
| NUTRITIONAL
INFORMATION |
| Per
3.5 oz/100 grams of raw edible portion |
 |
| Calories |
86 |
| Total
fat |
1.0
g |
| Saturated
fat |
0.1
g |
| Protein |
17.4
g |
| Cholesterol |
59.0
mg |
| Sodium |
295.0
mg |
|
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Source: USDA |
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