George Clarke, 61, of Seamill in North Ayrshire, made the trade with seamen returning to Troon Harbour after an extended fishing trip.
He pleaded guilty at Ayr Sheriff Court to charges of illegally selling copied games, films and music.
"Clarke originally approached the returning fleet on 3 February 2006 with the intention of exchanging his copied and counterfeit discs for cash," said the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association in a statement.
"But he soon discovered than none of the crew was carrying any cash, so he had to make do with a fish supper in the form of a selection of fresh crabs."
Officers from Strathclyde Police and investigators from North Ayrshire Trading Standards searched Clarke's premises later that day.
They found three computers and more than 200 discs containing illegally copied games for PC, PlayStation 2, PSP and Xbox.
Software pirate in crabs for games scam
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