About 15,000 escaped crabs have been recovered after the truck they were travelling in tipped into a field in Inishowen, County Donegal.
The crustaceans, which were worth about €60,000 (£52,000) and bound for shops and restaurants in Portugal, spilled from aluminium containers after the crash near Carrickmaquigley in Redcastle at about 07:30 local time on Monday.
The road between Quigley’s Point and Moville was closed for 18 hours while a large recovery operation, featuring night lights and a hydraulic crane, was under way.
The driver of the lorry was not injured in the crash.