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Langoustines
A Scottish legacy
Once considered an unfashionable by-catch and tossed back into the seas in favour of lucrative white fish hauls, the langoustine has rapidly become Scotland’s most valuable and reliable seafood resource over the last decade. The relatively recent ‘discovery’ and surge in popularity of this orange-pink crustacean also known invariably as the Norway lobster, Dublin Bay prawn or scampi has almost singlehandedly changed the face of the Scottish fishing industry, which has now seen a considerable return to traditional fine form following significant downturns in landings during the last quarter century.
Historically, fishermen would pull up great nets bulging with langoustine only to throw them back over the side in the hope of ensnaring more financially rewarding cod, haddock and mackerel hauls. But as stocks of these popular white fish continued their steady decline and quotas for their fishing were irrevocably cut, small scale Scottish fishermen began questioning whether or not there could be some use in landing their fruitful giant shrimp finds.
In the waters of the North Sea and also off the western coast of Scotland, bands of muddy sediment anywhere from a few metres below the surface to clay composite shelves up to 500 metres down provide the perfect silty environment for the burrows of the slim lined, foot long langoustine. The indigenous species spends the vast majority of its life hidden in its muddy habitat and rarely ventures out unless to mate or feed, but this hasn’t stopped local fishermen from tapping into their healthy abundance.
Although creeling and potting are more often than not preferred by the conscientious fisherman, trawling is the most heavily used method of catching langoustine.
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