Bruno Garcia from the Charente-Maritime fishing federation is taking us crab fishing today on France Bleu la Rochelle… Fromagé le Tourteau?
Bruno Garcia : We can also consider it, it is a specialty of Poitou – Charentes but it would not have much to do in this column so for the moment we will give priority to the crab, the Crab which we nickname also the sleeper.
Is it inspired by something specific on this topic?
Already because it’s the good season to fish them, to taste them but also because Cécile and Franck this week, two tourists from Dijon asked me questions about this crab. The opportunity to say hello to them.
Why do we call it the sleeper?
When you handle it, it folds its legs under its shell and does not move for a long time. A static attitude that could make you think of a time of sleep.
Can it be easily distinguished from other crabs?
It is a large crab, the cake that can reach several kilograms and measure up to 30 cm. The largest that can be found on our coasts in sandy and rocky bottoms. It is able to travel long distances to settle in the habitat that suits it. One of the distinguishing criteria of the species is the end of the claws which is of a very marked black color.
There is a surprising phenomenon in crabs: moulting.
Yes that’s the word! Very surprising! The crab extracts itself from its old skeleton by ending with the legs, this is called exuviation. The shell splits and he sheds his old shell. It then swells by absorbing water and very slowly, as it grows, the flesh and organs will take the place of this volume of water. This is a phase of its life when the crab is very vulnerable and more easily at the mercy of its predators. What is remarkable is that throughout this period, the male protects the female before and after the moult for a few days. Yet it is a passage in their life where an instinct for cannibalism develops, which is a brake on attempts to farm crabs.
It is a very popular dish, a dish of choice.
Yes and I recommend it. Very low in calories provided of course not to accompany it with 1 kg of mayonnaise or butter but above all very rich in magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper and vitamins.
The question that many people ask themselves, how to choose a cake?
Already it must be heavy and the small tongue at the base of the abdomen must be detached, which is an indicator of a well-stocked crab.
A quick note on competitive fishing
Not a brown crab fishing competition, which is caught using traps, but an angling competition. The rainfall deficit and the overexploitation of water resources place our department in a critical situation for our rivers and aquatic environments. But there are still sectors spared, which could be considered fishing paradises in 17. Le Lindron, in Marennes, is one of them. Just look at the scores to realize that there are still fish, and even a lot of fish, on this Charente/Seudre canal. Concerning last Sunday’s competition, goldfish and carp make up the bulk of the catch, even if a beautiful 75 centimeter zander was invited and it is not less than 300 kg of fish caught during this competition. Hats off to Patrick SANGLIER who stood out by winning this event with almost 20 kg.