Chinese Mitten Carb v American Signal Crayfish

[handyman]

Sometimes it seems like our country is in total disarray!

Are we due to see a big showdown between the Chinese mitten crab and the American signal crayfish?

Anybody know if the mitten crab is good for the pot? Seems like the only good thing for all these invasive species is as a food source. I will certainly be doing my bit to eradicate some of the little blighters.

Handyman

[Lancashire Lad]

Don't want to take any wind from your sails, but here's an extract from an article on the web. You'll have to make your own mind up regarding whether you fancy eating them, although from the sounds of this, provided they are cooked properly, they would seem to be a delicacy.

Extract from: - www.marlin.ac.uk/marine_aliens/species.asp?SpID=19

Parasites: In the Far East the mitten crab is the second intermediate host of the oriental lung fluke, Paragonimus westermanii (Kerbert, 1878), and if the crab is eaten uncooked or partially cooked, the parasite can infect humans, causing the disease paragonimiasis. However, establishment of this lung disease in Britain is thought unlikely because P. westermanii is specific to a primary intermediate host of aquatic snails assigned to the Thiaridae, and the climate in Britain is too cold for members of this gastropod family.


Commercial exploitation: Mitten crabs are considered to be a delicacy in many Far Eastern countries including China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan (click here for fig. 15). The resident Chinese community also imports the crab into the UK under the vernacular name of “moon crabs”. Consequently there appears to be a possible market for Thames mitten crabs and commercial exploitation may provide an opportunity as effective method of controlling population size, while providing financial benefits to local fishermen. This project proposes to investigate the population structure and density of mitten crabs around the year at various sites along the River Thames, using commercial (artisanal) fishery techniques, to determine whether commercial exploitation of the mitten crab population is feasible.


UK food regulations: In collaboration with the Port Health Services, London (PHS), the project proposes to determine whether mitten crabs from the Thames are fit for human consumption. PHS are the food authority for the Thames and food products originating from the Thames must pass strict criteria to ensure there is no potential for diseases to be passed onto to humans. The PHS is currently investigating the Thames population for the parasitic lung fluke, Paragonimus westermanii, which can cause symptoms similar to those of tuberculosis. The Natural History Museum will collaborate with PHS and test Thames crabs for heavy metals and organic chemical contaminants. There is an expectation that this collaboration could provide the necessary evidence that Thames mitten crabs meet current food regulations thereby declaring it fit for human consumption and exportation.

Regards
Mike.

[Jim Ford]

Even if I wasn't a vegetarian, I'd find the prospect of eating lung flukes - albeit cooked, singularly unappealing!

Jim

[galanthus]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

Even if I wasn't a vegetarian, I'd find the prospect of eating lung flukes - albeit cooked, singularly unappealing!

Jim

Well apparently if you like eating watercress, lots of that has liver fluke

[Marineboy]

If the Mitten crabs are declared safe to eat I am sure the environment agency will quickly slap a no fishing on them just like they have with the signal crayfish. They can't have the general public depleating their stocks of tasty dinner treats!
Being serious though, my money is on the mitten crabs to come out on top. Able to live in fresh and saline waters, better designed to crawl overland, they have claws designed for crushing and ripping - the crayfish have claws better designed for capture and holding. The crayfish are limited to back and forward bulldozing of digging spoils from tunnels whereas the mittens will be capable of quicker and more effective burrowing and digging in, and digging out food. Even the american crays will die from the crayfish disease if they are stressed. So how do you stress out an american signal crayfish? I wonder if the mittens have the answer?

[Marineboy]

Picked this up off Yahoo Answers

SPICY COCONUT CRABS:

4 mitten crabs (uncooked)
2 tablespoons oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 red chilies, chopped
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons chili sauce (sweet Thai)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
400 ml coconut cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
3 green onions, sliced
steamed rice, to serve

METHOD:

Lift top hard shell from crabs and use fingers to scrape insides. Wash, then split in half.

Heat the oil in a large wok over high heat then stir-fry the crab pieces in batches until they turn pinky red. Remove and set aside.

In the same wok, stir fry garlic, ginger and chili for 1 minute.
Add the juice, waer, sauces and paste and simmer for 2 minutes. Blend in the coconut cream. Bring to the boil then return the crab to the wok.

Simmer covered, for 4-5 minutes, adding a little water if the sauce reduces too much. Stir in the coriander and onions, then serve at once over steamed rice.

[tom00_uk]

mittern crabs are free from lung flukes in the uk, same as in the states where a local asian community was helping them selves to the invader for the pot and in soing so controlling the spread of them

the fluke needs to first live in a aquatic snail thats not present in the uk, then the crab and then a mammel