Hul’q’umi’num: ey’x
SENĆOŦEN: E¸Á¸ĆEX
Latin: Metacarcinus magister
Photo Credits: The Holy Kale
Description: Ey’x have four pairs of short, armoured walking legs, a pair of claws with a distinctive hooked tip, and a wide, purple-hued, hard shell.
Photo Credits: Seafood Source of Louisiana
Harvest and Sustainability: Ey’x are generally found in deep water at depths of 30 to 60 metres, though the “hot spots” vary by season and area. Ey’x also follow the tide into estuaries and bays, and are often collected in the shallows before they reach the eelgrass beds.
Photo Credits: A. Mutti
Uses: Ey’x are an important food species and were often harvested with the traditional three-pronged spear. Since the 1950s, metal rakes have been used to catch them live. Some Elders have harvested them by walking along the beach at low tide, stepping (‘umutsun) on them barefoot, then picking them up and placing them in a basket or canoe.
