Posted on 02/12/2009 1:07:25 PM PST by nickcarraway
The species of crab which is wreaking havoc in the Thames could soon be under control - and in our tummies.
Scientists have deemed the river's Chinese mitten crab population fit for human consumption.
They believe that catching the pest and selling it in restaurants and shops could be a viable way of controlling its numbers.
The crab, named for its bristled claws which resemble mittens, has been colonising the Thames and other rivers around England.
It burrows into and destroys fragile riverbanks, preys on other species and competes with native animals such as crayfish.
The idea of harvesting the crabs was raised in a two-year pilot fishing programme by the Natural History Museum.
Although they are considered a delicacy in south- east Asia, the London Port Health Authority, the food authority for the Thames, needed to study whether our version was safe.
Scientists from the authority, along with other food and environmental experts, tested samples of the mitten crabs' white and brown meat.
They discovered that levels of metal and hydrocarbon contaminants were too low to be of concern but that organochlorines, including dioxins, were relatively high.
However, levels of these substances were higher in crabs from the Netherlands, from where most London food businesses source their mitten crabs.
The experts said it was unlikely anyone would eat enough crabs for it to be a risk to health, especially as the mitten crabs were available only for three to four months a year.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I often wonder about the guy who lost the bet and had to be the first person to eat one of those things.
Succulent little creatures, aren’t they?
The Crayfish is not a native either.
American Signal Crayfish wrecks UK waters..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3343686/American-Signal-Crayfish-wrecks-UK-waters.html
I wonder how they got introduced?
What are the Brits whining about? Cook it, eat it. It’s not like it’s made of lead.
Was he told it tasted like SeaChicken?
Bilge water from freighter ships.
Sea Kitten, actually.
Does this apply to Muslims as well? We’re talking about a hell of a lot more damage from them.
If they start harvesting them, then they’ll never eradicate it.
“The Crayfish is not a native either.
American Signal Crayfish wrecks UK waters..”
Chef Gordon Ramsey did a youtube piece on the invasion of Britain by the American Crayfish.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi3Rcnv79H0
Well, it is from China, so you could understand why they would think so.
A few snakeheads ought to eat them crabs right up!
Unfortunately, after about 13 centuries of research, no one has discovered any use for Muslims.
Couldn’t they be used to fill the holes in the banks that the crabs dig?
Go ahead and eat seafood that may have foraged in the mud at the bottom of the Thames - mud that is some of the most toxic in the world.
Be sure not to test it first, just chug it down.
That would require some sort of hole-filling crab.
Looks mighty tasty!!
(Shellfish has always been one of my favorites!)
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