Range & Habitat: all European coasts: the North Sea, the Baltic, Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

identification & Biology: Tiny grey shrimp belong to the sand shrimp family and are highly prized in Europe. The common shrimp (or grey shrimp or North Sea shrimp) can be found along the North Sea coast. This burrowing species is usually found in shallow, muddy, inshore waters on the bottom (epibentisch), and feeds himself with living and dead vegetable and animal material that it finds. Most of it activities are nocturnal. During the day, they remain buried in the sand to escape predatory birds and fish, with only their antennae protruding.This makes it extremely difficult for predators to discover this little creature. With it’s powerful tail they can escape all the other North sea inhabitants.

Market Desctiption: Adults are typically 30–50 mm (1¼–2 inches) long, although individuals up to 90 mm have been recorded. The animals have cryptic colouration, being a sandy brown colour, which can be changed to match the environment. (They are gray or brown and translucent.) They are cooked and eaten whole, shell and all, or the meat may be picked out of their tiny tails. They have an intense “shrimpy” flavor.