Alimasag
Also known as: Blue swimming crab · Flower crab
Definition
Alimasag is the Filipino term most often applied to the blue swimming crab, a paddle-legged marine crab harvested in one of the country’s most valuable fisheries. The species is celebrated for its sweet flaky meat and is the basis of a major export industry in pasteurized crab meat.
Identities
| Source Type | Identity |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Portunus pelagicus |
| Wikidata | Q2364966 |
| DBpedia | N/A |
Also Known As
- Blue swimming crab
- Flower crab
Examples and Analogies
Alimasag occupies the everyday-crab role in the Philippines that the blue crab holds in Chesapeake Bay: the workhorse of crab pots and gillnets, equally at home in market baskets and export containers. Its swimming paddles recall a smaller, gentler cousin of the giant mud crab alimango.
Usage Scenarios
Blue swimming crab supports one of the country’s most valuable fisheries, supplying wet markets, restaurants, and pasteurized crab meat exports mainly from Bicol, the Visayas, and Mindanao. It is cooked in ginataang alimasag, steamed, or picked for lumpia.
Strategies
Fisheries strategies include minimum size limits, bans on taking egg-bearing females, crab pot and gillnet gear improvements, seasonal closures in key grounds, and traceability programs tied to export certification.
Security and Safety Measures
Safety measures focus on reducing ghost fishing through biodegradable trap panels, handling crabs to avoid claw injuries, and cold-chain hygiene to prevent spoilage in a highly perishable product.
Historical Context
Blue crab fishing expanded into a major export industry in the late twentieth century, with the Philippines becoming one of the world’s significant suppliers of pasteurized crab meat to international markets.
Challenges and Controversies
Challenges include overfishing and declining average sizes, the capture of juveniles before they reproduce, habitat degradation of seagrass beds, and competition among municipal and commercial fishers.
Related Topic
Mud Crab