From the replies I've had, I realise a lot of people didn't know or understand about the above. So this is the story as I understand it.
Trawlermen, normally fishing for summer soles, catch a lot of rubbish as part of their buy catch. This buy catch is normally shovelled over the side, along with dead and dying immature thorn back ray, sting ray, flounder, plaice, sea urchin, small edible and spider crabs and the peelers.
It wasn't until an angler let it slip to a trawlerman that at times they could retail at a quid each, that they started to keep the peelers.
After making a few pounds extra selling their once worthless buy catch, their thoughts turned to how to catch more and how to actually target them when times were hard.
They started using smaller trawles and fishing the small warm creeks that peelers love. The trouble is that these warm creeks are also the nursery areas for bass, mullet, thorn back rays, flounder etc.
By using these crabs anglers are paying to have their fishery destroyed at the foundations.

thank you for opening many blurry eyes mate

There are ways you could all have crab bait without ever having to go peelering or buy off these cowboys.

Yes I agree with you Winter, but I realy enjoi collecting my own bait, I always look after my crabing marks. Puting rocks back the right way that others have left on top of weed. This stops the weed roting. If people look after the crabing marks we can all enjoi good crabing.