Padstow is well known for its tourist industry, but there’s another lucrative industry here that few visitors are aware of. Each year, Padstow’s fishermen land hundreds of tonnes of brown crab, but the vast majority bypass the town altogether. For decades, lorryloads of shellfish have left Padstow for the continent every week.

Once connected to Europe, Padstow’s crabbing industry boomed. Britain’s crab exports to Europe form an industry worth over sixty million pounds. But lockdowns across Europe have brought everything to a standstill, and as the global market for crab grows, concerns are starting to be raised about the effects of overfishing. Show less