Document type: podcast published in The Fishing Daily
Author: Oliver McBride
Preview: The Catch Welfare Platform is launching its podcast Catch Welfare - The Podcast today. The podcast is hosted by the Catch Welfare Platform's own Michelle Boonstra and Oliver McBride, Editor of The Fishing Daily. In this debut episode, hosts Oliver and Michelle delve into the fascinating world of crustacean (crab) welfare. They are joined by special guests, Bjorn Roth, Senior Scientist at NOFIMA, Norway's leading food research institute, who shares insights on the neurological aspects of crab welfare and humane slaughter methods, and Stefan Tijsen, a fisherman and innovator from the Netherlands, who discusses his innovative techniques in fishing and handling crabs to enhance their welfare and the overall quality of the catch. In this episode, the group examines the importance of humane handling and stunning methods for crabs and explores how new technologies are transforming the fishing industry. Bjorn has been involved in the scientific study of how to create a better end-of-life for crabs such as brown, snow, and king crabs. He explains the biology of crabs and the humane way to dispatch a crab before processing. Stefan explains to the group the measures he has taken to improve the life of crabs onboard his fishing fleet. One such advancement is moving away from nicking the crabs' claws (nicking is the act of cutting the tendon in the claw to stop contained crabs from attacking each other) to the use of specialised bands to bind the claws. The group also looks at the different periods' crabs have to survive between being caught and slaughtered. Bjorn explains that even out of water, crabs can survive for longer than people realise. Find out more by listening to the podcast. Also, find out more about the advantages of stunning and the different techniques used before processing. "This is a fascinating podcast," says host Oliver McBride. "There is so much to learn about crab life and crab biology. Bjorn and Stephan dig deep into this topic, but there is so much more to discover that can help fishermen deliver a top-quality product, along with improving the end-of-life for crabs and other crustaceans." Join us as we discuss the latest developments in the industry and explore innovative approaches to improving the welfare of crabs during the fishing process. Oliver and Michelle kick off the podcast by introducing the Catch Welfare Platform, highlighting their recent expert group meetings focused on pelagic, small-scale, and demersal fisheries. Learn about their upcoming conference on November 14-15 and the exciting topics planned for future episodes.
