Crab seafood items

Ocean Wise’s recommendations are based on 4 criteria. An Ocean Wise recommended species is:

  1. Abundant and resilient to fishing pressures
  2. Well managed with a comprehensive management plan based on current research
  3. Harvested in a method that ensures limited bycatch on non-target and endangered species
  4. Harvested in ways that limit damage to marine or aquatic habitats and negative interactions with other species.

To learn more please refer to our Ocean Wise Recommendation Policy.

Crab
Status Variety Latin name Wild/Farmed Harvest method Region
Ocean Wise Blue crab Callinectes sapidus Wild Trotline Atlantic US
Ocean Wise Dungeness crab Cancer magister Wild Trap Canada, US
Ocean Wise King crab Lithodes aequispinus, Paralithodes camtschatica Wild Trap Alaska
Ocean Wise Kona crab (Spanner, Frog) Ranina ranina Wild Trap Australia
Ocean Wise Rock crab Cancer irroratus Wild Trap Belle River PEI, Prince Edward Island
Ocean Wise Snow and tanner crab Chinonectes opilio, C. bairdi, C. angulatus, C. tanneri Wild Trap Alaska, Canada
Ocean Wise Snow crab (Queen, Tanner) Chionoecetes opilio, Chionoecetes bairdi, Chionoecetes tanneri, Chionoecetes angulatus Wild Trap Alaska
Ocean Wise Stone crab Menippe mercenaria, Menippe adina Wild Trap US
Under Review Chilean crab Cancer setosus Wild Trap Chile
Not Recommended Blue crab (Hardshell, Softshell) Callinectes sapidus Wild Trap Atlantic US, Gulf of Mexico
Not Recommended Blue crab, blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus Wild Trap Southeast Asia
Not Recommended Jonah crab (Rock crab) Cancer borealis Wild Trap Atlantic US, Canada
Not Recommended King crab Paralithodes camtschatica Wild Trap Russia
Not Recommended Kona crab (Spanner, Frog) Ranina ranina Wild Trap Hawaii
Not Recommended Mud crab (softshell, mangrove crab) Scylla serrata
Wild
Farmed
 Pond, Trap Asia
Not Recommended Snow crab (Queen, Tanner) Chionoecetes opilio, Chionoecetes bairdi Wild Trap Atlantic US, Canada