Quality improvement by feeding wild‐caught edible crab (Cancer pagurus L.): a pilot study

High season for the Norwegian Brown crab fishery (Cancer pagurus L.) is from August to October when meat yield (MY) is high, especially for female crabs. However, the quality of hard-shelled crabs may vary between and within regions also, at this time of the year. A pilot study was conducted to examine whether feeding could increase MY in wild-caught medium-quality females caught during four periods from July to November. Feed intake was compared for crabs fed at different temperatures (3, 5, 8, 10 and 12°C). The crabs were fed three times a week in periods from 15 to 20 days. Feed intake increased with temperatures. Quality, as assessed by MY, was higher for all fed groups compared with reference groups. A clear pattern in quality improvement was seen according to season. Hepatosomatic index increased more than the gonadosomatic in July, slightly more in August, while gonadosomatic development was higher in September. In October, some spawning occurred. The result indicates that feeding had a positive effect, which seemed to increase with increasing temperature. We suggest that the temperature should be at least 12°C in order to achieve an optimal gain in MY when the feeding period is 3 weeks.