Do you know the difference, I have been intrigued by this
lately, (too much time), I always thought that they were
the same and just different people used different names,
but I am wrong!
I found the answer, pasted below.
Mike.
Contrary to popular belief, the terms ‘crustaceans’ and
‘shellfish’ are not interchangeable. In fact, the correlation
between these two categories only goes one way: while
crustaceans are always shellfish, shellfish are not always
crustaceans.
If that sounds complicated, don’t worry.
Allow us to explain further.
What are shellfish?
To put it as simply as possible, shellfish live in the water
and have a shell (or shell-like) exterior. From that basic
definition, shellfish can then be divided into two main
categories: crustaceans and molluscs.
What are crustaceans?
Crustaceans:
Characterized by hard outer shells and segmented limbs,
examples of commonly enjoyed crustaceans are shrimp,
crab and lobster.
What are molluscs?
Molluscs:
Defined as soft-bodied invertebrates with calcium carbonate
shells, examples of commonly enjoyed molluscs, are clams,
mussels, scallops and oysters.
So, to elaborate on our description above with a specific
example, both crabs and scallops are shellfish, but only
crabs are crustaceans. However, it’s not uncommon for
people to refer to the mollusc subcategory as simply
‘shellfish,’ and distinguished from crustaceans entirely.
The Difference Between Crustaceans and Shellfish (And Ways to Enjoy Both)
lately, (too much time), I always thought that they were
the same and just different people used different names,
but I am wrong!
I found the answer, pasted below.
Mike.
Contrary to popular belief, the terms ‘crustaceans’ and
‘shellfish’ are not interchangeable. In fact, the correlation
between these two categories only goes one way: while
crustaceans are always shellfish, shellfish are not always
crustaceans.
If that sounds complicated, don’t worry.
Allow us to explain further.
What are shellfish?
To put it as simply as possible, shellfish live in the water
and have a shell (or shell-like) exterior. From that basic
definition, shellfish can then be divided into two main
categories: crustaceans and molluscs.
What are crustaceans?
Crustaceans:
Characterized by hard outer shells and segmented limbs,
examples of commonly enjoyed crustaceans are shrimp,
crab and lobster.
What are molluscs?
Molluscs:
Defined as soft-bodied invertebrates with calcium carbonate
shells, examples of commonly enjoyed molluscs, are clams,
mussels, scallops and oysters.
So, to elaborate on our description above with a specific
example, both crabs and scallops are shellfish, but only
crabs are crustaceans. However, it’s not uncommon for
people to refer to the mollusc subcategory as simply
‘shellfish,’ and distinguished from crustaceans entirely.
The Difference Between Crustaceans and Shellfish (And Ways to Enjoy Both)
