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A ten-legged crustacean with a paddle-shaped fifth pair of legs is putting Bahrain firmly on the map.
The blue swimming crab, or portunus pelagicus, which is found in the glistening waters off the coast of Bahrain, is being sold as far afield as Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the US.
The crabs are considered a delicacy throughout Asia. With an abundance of the highly-prized crustaceans living in Bahrain's waters, the industry is flourishing
And, thanks to two veterans of the fishing industry, Jim Hanlon and Sabu Thomas, Bahrain's crabs are achieving global prominence.
Mr Thomas, operations manager at Atlas Fish Company explained: "Bahraini crabs have become world famous. We're selling the crabs to every corner of the globe. These crabs are the best in the world. We catch them live and they are the freshest possible."
Since the company started harvesting the crabs just over a year ago, it has shipped 70, 40ft containers to the Far East.
Atlas processes between six and seven tonnes of crab everyday but has the capacity to handle up to 16 tonnes.
The company buys crabs from local fishermen who sell their catches according to weight, size and quality.
Atlas's factory in Sitra then processes and packages the crabs, either selling them whole, cleaned, cooked or in sections.
For the Japanese market the crabs are sold raw, and separated by sex - the females of the species have bright orange claws while the males' are brilliant blue.
At least 2,500 of the country's workforce are involved in crab fishing, said Mr Thomas, and on any one day up to 600 boats will harvest crabs off Bahrain's shores.
General manager of Atlas, Mr Hanlon said: "Fishing is a traditional industry and we are committed to protecting the industry and developing this area of the economy."
The pair encouraged fishermen to use traditional traps rather then trawling, protecting the local crab population and ensuring crabs are caught live.
Mr Hanlon also explained that crab levels are sustained by allowing periods for the crustaceans to replenish themselves and by encouraging fishermen to throw small crabs or those that are carrying eggs back into the sea.
Currently at least 40 per cent of the crustaceans are sold to Korea, 35 per cent to Japan and the remainder to the US. But demand is spiralling.
"We don't have enough to supply the market, there is so much demand," explained Mr Hanlon.
The company is now expanding into the Saudi Arabian province of Jizan and plans are afoot to establish a joint venture in Bangladesh.
Another plan is to develop supplements in tablet form which will contain the B-vitamins and Omega-3 oils which the crab contain.
So far local consumption has remained low.
But Atlas has been selected as the approved supplier for Chilli's restaurant, and there are plans to capture the regional market by providing ready to use products.
The pair also said the authorities have been a big help in allowing them to establish their venture.
"The health department, fisheries and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry have been very encouraging and helped us to get going. We're very lucky to be in Bahrain," said Mr Thomas.
