Post on 31-Dec-2015
description
CrabsA Red Kayak Project
By Griff LehnertWith tech assistance from Jordan Lehnert who is proud of the
background pictures!
The Animal
• Callinectes (“beautiful swimmer”) sapidus (“savory”)
• Gray-Blue in color. Claws are blue. Female claws are tipped with red.
• Males have a “T”shaped abdomen, known as the apron. Females have a triangle shaped apron.
• Grow by molting their old shell and growing a new one.
The Anatomy
Life Cycle
Diet
• Adult Crabs feed on crustaceans, fish, worms and nearly anything they can find.
• The blue crab’s favorite food is a thin shelled bivalve mollusk.
• Adult crabs will often resort to cannibalism of juvenile crabs.
Crabbing Economy
• For the past 60 years, blue crabs have been the main catch for Chesapeake Bay fisheries.
• Crabs are the most valuable catch for fisheries. The blue crab harvest for 2000 is estimated at $55 million.
• Approximately one-third of the nation’s blue crabs are caught in the Chesapeake.
Crabbing Regulations
• Harvesting Females is Prohibited
• Season: April 1- December 15
• Minimum Size
APRIL 1 - JULY 14
JULY 15 - DECEMBER 15
5 " Male Hard 5 1/4" Male Hard
3 1/4" Male
Soft
3 1/2" Male
Soft
Equipment: required by regulations
• Crab traps or pots
• Dipnets
• Trotting Lines
Catch Limits
• In an effort to bring back the blue crab, the Departments of Natural Resources of MD and VA limits the catch of commercial and noncommercial fishermen, depending on licensed crabbers on board.
• For more information, see the Maryland DNR website at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/regulations
Environmental Issues
• Due to over-fishing, pollution and destruction of habitat, the blue crab population i the Chesapeake Bay is rapidly decreasing.
• The increase in population of predatory fish such as the striped bass and Atlantic croaker who prey on juvenile crabs
Effect of Bay Damage and Over-fishing Crabs
• Blue crab populations have fallen nearly 70% since 1990.
• In 1990, there were an estimated 791 million crabs in the Chesapeake. By 2000, the estimate was down to 281 million.
• By 2009, thanks to restrictions in harvesting, the blue crab population was 393 million.
Bibliography: Information• http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/
regulations• http://www.bluecrab.info/• http://www.chesapeakebay.net/blue_crab.htm• http://web.vims.edu/adv/ed/crab/?svr=www• http://www.aqua.org/animals_bluecrab.html
Bibliography:Pictures• http://www.fishingnj.org/procrab.htm• http://www.sms.si.edu/irlfieldguide/CrabBiol.htm• http://www.serc.si.edu/education/resources/bluecrab/lifecycle.aspx• http://beauforttribune.com/archives/8737• http://funbeach.com/activities/crabbing/• http://www.marshbunny.com/stjohns/trotline/trotline.html• http://www.crabbingtips.com/• http://www.paulmcgeheeart.com/pages/ChesapeakeBayCrabBoat.htm• http://www.fegi.ru/prim/sea/mol_dvu.htm• fishingnj.org• http://asm.news21.com/bundle/chesapeake/budget/31/• http://alansmoneyblog.com/2010/03/10/the-most-prosperous-nations-
on-earth/