It may sound appealing and exotic, but the velvet swimming crab is the rat of the North Sea.

For years North Yorkshire fishermen have battled to get rid of the little creature - a vermin because it preys on white fish and lobsters caught in trawls.

But now inshore fishermen at Whitby and Scarborough have been delighted to discover that the crab they love to hate is a prized delicacy on the Continent.

Biologists from York, working with the fishermen, have now established a market for the "velvets" in Spain and Portugal.

North Yorkshire fishing adviser John Harwood said: "No-one wants to eat them here, but I spoke to Spanish experts who said there was a huge demand for them in Portugal and Spain, where they're considered delicacies.

"In fact, they're worth more per gram to British fishermen than the edible crab that form the traditional market here."

Mr Harwood, who regularly advises fishermen at Scarborough and Whitby harbours, said trial velvet-selling would start at the two ports later this year.

"I think the news is quite a relief to a lot of the fishermen and the new market could also create a number of fishing and processing jobs," he said.

"It has a distinct taste, far different from the normal crabs we're used to and I can't see any reason in the future why people won't be eating it as a delicacy here, either."

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