Crabs: From Bay to Table By Evan Jones 8 th Grade

Characteristics The Chesapeake or Atlantic blue crab is a crustacean found in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, the Central American Pacific coast, and the Gulf of Mexico. Blue crabs can grow to be 9.1 inches wide, however they are heavily fished in the western Atlantic so crabs that size are rarely seen.

Chesapeake Bay blue crabs migrate. After mating, the female crab travels to the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay to fertilize her eggs. In November and December, the female crab releases her eggs. When the eggs hatch, the crabs are larvae that float in the water at the mouth of the bay for up to five weeks. Finally, the young crabs travel back up the bay. Characteristics

Male Female Male crabs have a triangular shaped abdomens while females have semi-circle shaped ones. Male crabs also have bigger claws than the females. Both crabs have a strong shell and if one of their legs get ripped off, it will grow back.

Bushels of crabs are delivered to wholesaler. Crabs are sorted, weighed and shipped to sellers like restaurants. Economy M F A O R K C E T S People like to eat crabs so that creates crabbing jobs. We eat crabs. They taste good and are fun to eat. CRABHOUSESCRABHOUSES Local and immigrant workers “pick” crabs in crab houses. The crab meat is sold to stores, restaurants, markets. Wholesale Seafood Commercial Crabbing Watermen use crabbing boats and bait (fish, eels, etc.) to lure crabs into submerged crab pots, lines or other traps. This industry depends on the Chesapeake Bay. Crabs are a part of Maryland's image.

Rules and Regulations Recreational Crabbing (April 1 – December 1) Pay the license fee ($5 for residence to crab and $15 to license a recreational crabbing boat) Crab ½ hour after sunrise until 5pm on the Chesapeake Bay Crab ½ hour after sunrise until sunset in tributaries Do not fish female crabs unless fishing for soft shells – Soft shell crabs are crabs that have recently molted and do not have a hard shell. They are also eaten. Crabs cannot be babies. They must be: – 5 – 5 ¼ in. for males – 3 ¼ in. soft shells There are limits to how many crabs you can fish: – 1 bushel of hard crabs – 2 dozen soft shells There is no littering in or around the bay. There are different rules for recreational and commercial crabbing. Rules are in place to protect the crab population. Different areas of the bay, along with different Maryland counties, have differenct restrictions on crabbing as well.

Rules and Regulations Commercial Crabbing There are many rules associated with commercial crabbing. Commercial crabbing requires: A commercial license Approved gear (boat, line, pots, nets, bait) Knowledge of approved fishing grounds Staying acceptable distances away from other fishermen and their gear Commerical Fisherman can: Crab ½ hour after sunrise for about 8 hours on the Chesapeake Bay Crab ½ hour after sunrise for about 8 hours in tributaries Catch 12 bushels of female crabs per day Catch 25 bushels of mail crabs per day. The number of bushels can vary depending on the fishing area.

Environment While we like to fish for and eat crabs, they also provide food for other animals like sea stars, fish, eels, other blue crabs. Blue crabs are scavenging omnivores and detritivores. This means they eat plants, animals, other blue crabs and lots of decaying matter of all kinds. They eat dead animals and algae. They prefer decaying flesh. They are like a bay vacuum, cleaning up dead matter on the bay floor. Most crabs live under water and swim to collect food. They sometimes live in holes near water. When in the water, they live in highly protective areas like under rocks and in weeds.

Environment Issues Affecting Industry Blue crab populations vary from year to year but overall they are dwindling. This is a big problem, not only for the Chesapeake Bay economy, but also for the environmental health of the bay itself. For example, crabs filter the water and eat any dead organisms they find, thus cleaning the bay. Removing the bay’s “vacuum cleaners” upsets the natural balance in the bay’s ecosystem. Without crabs, the bay would contain too much algae which would make it difficult for other animals like fish and birds to survive. Finally, crabs also bring in tourists who want to fish for and eat them. Crab meat from the Chesapeake Bay is shipped far and wide. Losing blue crabs would greatly change the states surrounding the Chesapeake Bay including our own. People have differing opinions about what should be done. Fishermen worry that continuing to limit the amount of crab they fish, will wipe out their way of life and force them to find a new job. Environmentalists point out that blue crabs are an important part of bay’s ecosystem and must be protected so that the bay remains stable. Crabs create jobs as well as feed people. The crabbing industry is responsible for thousands of jobs from fishermen, to crab pickers, to cooks. However, blue crabs suffer from environmental pollution produced by humans as well as over-fishing.