Behind their rugged appearance, crustaceans hide great biological and behavioural complexity. Their rigid carapace does not prevent them from growing, they self-amputate to escape from predators, they can store sperm in a spermatheca and their lost appendages can grow back, all performances that mark their life cycle.
Their excellent taste has not gone unnoticed, and professional fishermen deploy a range of gear, trawls, nets and pots, to put them on our tables. All the crab, spiny lobster, lobster and Nephrop prawns produced come from fisheries. The same cannot be said for shrimp and prawns, since two-thirds of those consumed are farmed, mainly in the inter-tropical zone.
Derivatives of the chitin contained in their shell have exceptional chemical and biological properties suitable for a variety of promising industrial and medical uses.
The book describes the biology of various types of crustaceans, marine fisheries, storing and utilisation of these products and the range of their uses in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food and other sectors. Several recipes from two renowned chefs are included at the end. With its colour photo illustrations, it will interest a very wide readership.