Last updated on June 1st, 2023 at 07:55 pm
The blue crab, also known as Callinectes sapidus, is the most common type of crabs that you can find in coastal areas. It’s also one of the largest, which means it has a much larger meat yield than other types of seafood. The flesh from its claws and legs contains more calories per pound than any other shellfish or crustacean, by far.
This is because their body structure makes it easier to store fat in its shell. A female can carry up to a million eggs at one time, and they will be fertilized by males during mating season. The females are able to grow back their claws after molting, which happens about once every two years for most crabs
Their diet consists of clams, oysters, and other crustaceans that live in the water. They are often found near docks and piers because they love to feed on baitfish for a quick meal before going back into hiding or swimming away from predators.
There is also some evidence showing that this type of crab has been moving northward over the past two decades because of warmer water.
Blue crab species
The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) is a large edible crab species found on the Atlantic coast of North America. They are usually light-blue in color but can be other colors as well such as brown or purple if they live in certain habitats. They have one claw that is much larger than the other and a hard shell with spikes on it. They live in saltwater and are an omnivore, meaning they eat both plants and animals (zooplankton).
Blue crabs habitat
Blue crabs are found in the Atlantic Ocean, from Nova Scotia to Florida. They can be found as far north as Newfoundland and Labrador, southeast of Greenland and Iceland, and in the Northeast Pacific Ocean near California. In general, they will inhabit waters with salinity at or below 20 parts per thousand. The exception is that they may also be found in saline waters at the mouths of rivers or along coasts where freshwater meets salt.
Blue crabs can be found on both sandy and muddy bottoms, but prefer areas with sand (and oysters) near rocks for cover. They are also often seen in mangrove forests because they feed on mollusks and other animals that live in the roots.
They need plenty of oxygen, so they are often found near areas with water movement and low depths that expose sediments. These include tidal flats, estuaries (where fresh river water meets salt), lagoons, bays or sounds where currents may occur from tides or wind patterns, shallow pools behind sand bars, and near mangrove forests.
They are found in an area called the pelagic zone which is from sea level to surface waters of about 200 meters deep where light can penetrate. They may also be seen on sand bars or mudflats that expose sediment during low tides.
Blue crabs lifespan
Blue crabs typically live for about two years, but some may reach up to five. The average lifespan of a blue crab is around 28 months or one year and eight months on the outside.
Blue crabs are resilient creatures that can thrive in various climates when conditions are favorable. They grow quickly due to their short life expectancy, reaching sexual maturity at an around a one-half inch long.
What do blue crabs eat?
They feed on many organisms, including clams and other mollusks. They also eat fish eggs, shrimp larvae, jellyfish, algae, and plants.
How are blue crabs harvested?
The blue crab is a commercially important species. In the United States, it can be found from Maine to North Carolina in estuaries and tidal basins on both east and west coasts of America.
They are harvested by hand or using pieces of plastic mesh called “crab pots” that have been baited with smelly bait (usually chicken feathers). The pots are weighted down and left in the water.
They can be caught during any time of day, but they’re most active at night when hungry blue crab hunters go looking for them with flashlights on their heads to spot them from a distance.
The traps or “pots” are hauled up each morning by boat and the crabs are removed from them.
The hard-shelled blue crabs are transferred to tanks of water where they are sorted by size, sex, and quality for sale in live or cooked form.
Snapping shrimp must be present at all times in order to keep the blue crab population under control because, without their predators, they would thrive unchecked and overpopulate the water.
Blue crab meat
Blue crab meat is a delicacy enjoyed worldwide. It tastes great in any recipe, but it’s especially good when battered and fried up with some tartar sauce. There are many ways to cook blue crab: boiled, steamed, roasted, or even raw! They can be served cold as an appetizer on a bed of lettuce leaves topped with a creamy mayonnaise-based sauce.
Blue crab legs
Their legs are a type of white meat fish that is extremely popular in the United States. The blue crabs found on U.S coasts are known as Atlantic Blue Crabs and they can be found all along the East Coast from Maine to Florida, but most notably around Chesapeake Bay Maryland. These blue crabs have a light brown shell with a bluish tint to them.
Their legs are a delicacy in the United States, and they come from crabs that have been harvested before their first molting cycle. The harvesting of these animals for consumption is considered sustainable because there has not yet been any scientific evidence indicating the depletion of this species (or its abundance).
The season for harvesting blue crabs in Maryland is from October to April, and they can be found at seafood markets all over the state.
The meat of these animals consists primarily of white muscle tissue that surrounds yellowish-brown or orange eggs.
Conclusion
The blue crab is a cracking little crustacean that can make for some very tasty seafood. It has an average weight of two pounds, and its shell ranges in color from shades of brown to dark blue.
Their shells give them their name, but they also have light pink claws with spines on the front edge which are used for cleaning.
They are often listed as one of the top five most lucrative crustaceans in the world, and it can be found from North America all way to China. It was once a staple food across Europe before succumbing to overfishing; now they are more likely to be seen on restaurant plates than bubbling in pots.
