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. La diminution de taille des crustaces, suite a leur cuisson et a leur preparation constitue un probleme pour les organismes de gestion des peches a travers le monde, quand la taille est reglementee. Dans ce travail, nous montrons que la carapace du crabe Portunus pelagicus se retrecit a la suite de divers procedes de cuisson et de preparation, mais ce retrecissement est peu important. Il y a seulement 5% de chances pour qu'un crabe mesurant 15 cm (taille minimum legale de peche) juste peche diminue de plus de 0,9 mm apres les procedes habituels de cuisson et de preparation. Les agences de gestion des peches devraient, par consequent, inclure un degre minime de tolerance sur la mesure (1 mm), dans leur reglementation concernant les tailles legales de peche pour cette espece.