mastertangler wrote on May 2^nd, 2011 at 11:02pm:

Must be some reason they aren't kosher.

Because it's written, that's why.   ;)

For example, sole is found in the same muck as crab.

Those rules exist in the reality of 600BCE - 2000BCE depending on your belief.  Cheesburgers aren't kosher either.  So much for kosher.

For the most part, accepting that the waters are relatively clean, shellfish are fine.  Something that irks even my jewish biologist pal.  As he states, "Those old rule makers had no understanding of metabolism."  The big problem being that much of our waters aren't clean and wont be clean for another 1000 years, all the while we ruin more and more waters in our quest for the two-car-garage.