The Catch
Your trusted partner in sustainable seafood excellence. Whilst specialising in the featured species below, we have access to diverse UK fresh seafood so all sales enquiries are welcome.
HOMARUS GAMMARUS
European Lobster
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The European lobster is renowned for both its striking appearance and exceptional flavour. Prized by chefs and home-cooks alike, this premium product enjoys a justified position as one of the most desirable seafoods.
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Fresh from the waters of the Devon & Cornwall coastline, our delicious lobsters are caught for us from the shoreline out to the mid-English Channel and beyond and landed in Newlyn, Exmouth and Salcombe. Caught in baited pots and stored in seawaters tanks aboard the vessels, our lobsters are always landed alive to ensure exceptional quality.
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With at sea and on-harbour storage facilities, Waterdance Trading can supply fresh live lobster from small orders up to 600kg at a time. Whilst some product is landed year-round, supply is greatest in the Summer and Autumn months as lobsters enjoy the warmer seasonal waters.
CANCER PAGURUS
Brown Crab
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A robust crab of a reddish-brown colour, having an oval carapace with a characteristic “pie crust” edge and black tips to the claws. Around one-third of the weight of an adult edible crab is meat, of which one-third is white meat from the claws, and two-thirds is white and brown meat from the body. English Channel crab is renowned as the finest example of the species in terms of size and quality within its distribution along Europe’s Western Atlantic coastline. This species is the basis of the UK crab sandwich and salad dishes but also enjoyed as a national dish ‘Sapateiro’ in Portugal and as far China.
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Caught in pots to maintain the highest quality, our crab is carefully sorted at sea to allow small crabs to be released unharmed. Then Stored in sea water and landed live for onward live export, this is a key product for South west England’s diverse vessels.
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Waterdance Trading has access to approximately 1000 tonnes of live brown crab annually, landed into Salcombe, Brixham and Newlyn. Landings peak from May to Autumn, with high demand for Christmas markets and the Chinese new year.
OCTOPUS VULGARIS
Common Octopus
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Widely distributed from North Africa, the Mediterranean and now the UK, this species arrived on our local shores in 2025. The species is in high demand, due to wide consumption in a range of dishes, particularly in Southern Europe, the individuals we handle typically weigh 2 to 3 kgs.
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It is mainly caught in pots and landed daily or in short trips of up to 3 days. The species is also caught in trawls, so product from both fisheries is available.
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Due to the short fishing trips, we can deliver some of the freshest octopus available in the UK. Waterdance Trading can supply up to 25 tonnes per week. We are still understanding seasonal patterns for octopus in UK waters. So far the greatest abundance has been seen in late Spring and Autumn.
SEPIA OFFICINALIS
Common Cuttlefish
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Distributed through the shallow temperate waters of the Eastern Atlantic, it prefers sandy substrates. The resident population in the English Channel moves from offshore grounds in the Winter to inshore grounds for breeding in the Summer. Cuttlefish are in the same family as squid and octopus and key consumer markets for cuttlefish are France, Italy and Greece.
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This species is key to the trawl fisheries of the English Channel, particularly the Brixham fleet. The majority of our catches come from beam trawlers with refrigerated holds fishing 3 to 6 days trips.
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Catches are seasonal with trawl caught cuttlefish prevalent from September to February and trap-caught from March to June. During the trawl season we can access up to 30 tonnes per week.
BUCCINUM UNDATUM
Whelk
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This large gastropod favours soft seabeds and can be found in great abundance within the English Channel. They are predators, feeding on other shellfish species. Key consumer markets include France, Japan and South Korea.
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Our whelks are caught in specially designed pots and selected for size and quality aboard. The product is maintained alive on board whilst being chilled to preserve freshness.
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Fishing is carried out year-round, with peak landings between April and August. We have access to up to 20 tonnes per week.
