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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
N. Gökoğlu, Shellfish Processing and Preservation,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60303-8_1
Chapter 1
Introduction to Shellfish
1.1 Shellfish
Shellfish are defined as creatures which have shell and live in the sea. They are
aquatic invertebrates. These animals do not have a backbone but instead have an
outer shell. Most of the shellfish species are obtained from the sea. However, some
species are also available in fresh water. Their name is shellfish, but they are not
fish. They are edible creatures and used ad human food.
Shellfish are mainly categorized into molluscs and arthropods.
Molluscs
Shellfish
Arthropods
Molluscs are categorized into gastropods, cephalopods and bivalves.
Gastropods (Abalone, snail, whelk)
Molluscs
Cephalopods (Squid, octopus, cuttlefish)
Bivalves (clam, mussel, oyster, scallop)
Arthropods are categorized into crustaceans.
Arthropods
Crustaceans (Shrimp, crab, lobster, crayfish)