0306.33 - Crabs:

This HTS category, 0306.33, specifically addresses crabs that are live, fresh, or chilled. This classification is a subset of the broader heading for crustaceans, covering a wide range of marine life. It is important to distinguish these fresh or chilled crabs from other items within the same sibling group. For instance, while 0306.31 covers rock lobster, 0306.32 includes lobsters, and 0306.34 pertains to Norway lobsters, this particular code exclusively focuses on true crabs, excluding all species of lobsters.

The distinction is based on biological classification. Crabs, belonging to the infraorder Brachyura, possess a broad, flattened body and a short tail tucked under the thorax, differentiating them from the elongated bodies of lobsters. This category is intended for crabs in their natural state, preserved only through refrigeration for freshness, not by freezing, drying, or salting, which would fall under different subheadings within Chapter 0306.

Within 0306.33, further subcategories exist to refine the classification. The primary subdivisions are 0306.33.20.00 for crabmeat and 0306.33.40.00 for "Other." This indicates that while whole, fresh, or chilled crabs are covered here, specific preparations like crabmeat, which has undergone processing to remove the shell and separate the edible flesh, are categorized separately. The "Other" category would typically encompass whole or parts of crabs that are neither processed into meat nor fall into other specified subheadings, provided they meet the live, fresh, or chilled criteria.