<P> Declawing of crabs is the process whereby one or both claws of a live crab (including king crabs) are manually pulled off and the animal is then returned to the water . It occurs in several fisheries worldwide, such as in the Florida stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) fishery, the north - east Atlantic deep - water red crab (Chaceon affinis) fishery and in southern Iberia, where the major claws of the fiddler crab Uca tangeri are harvested . Around Northern Europe, an extensive fishery exists for claws of the edible crab, Cancer pagurus . The practice is defended because some crabs can naturally autotomise (shed) limbs and then about a year later after a series of moults, regenerate these limbs . It is argued that declawing therefore provides a sustainable fishery . Claw removal is also promoted to assist in handling of animals, and to decrease losses through entanglement in fishing nets and cannibalism . Declawing crabs is legal in the UK since revocation in 2000 of the Crab Claws (Prohibition of Landing) Order 1986 . One crab that is subject to widespread declawing is the Florida stone crab, for which tourist information is provided . </P> <P> To perform declawing, the claws are snapped downward away from the crab . To ensure a clean break along the natural fracture plane, one finger is placed on the basal cheliped joint . With the cheliped fully extended, a quick, firm downward motion normally removes the claw cleanly . The break usually occurs at the basi - ischum between the coxa at the base of the leg and the merus . </P>

How long does it take for a stone crab to grow a new claw