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Maryland Blue Crab |
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) is a crustacean found in the waters off the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. In its scientific name, calli is Greek for "beautiful", nectes for "swimmer", and sapidus is Latin for "savory"". The natural predators of the blue crab include eels, drum, spot, trout, some sharks, cownose sting rays and humans. The blue crab is an omnivore, eating both plants and other animals. Blue crabs typically consume thin-shelled bivalves, annelids, fish, plants and nearly any other item they can find, including carrion. The Chesapeake Bay, shared by Maryland and Virginia, is famous for its blue crabs, and they are one of the most important economic items harvested from it. In 1993, the combined harvest of the blue crabs was around 100 million. Over the years the harvests of the blue crab dropped; in 2000, the combined harvest was around 45 million. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has created stricter guidelines for harvesting blue crabs to help increase populations. These include raising the legal size from 5 to 5¼ inches (from 12.7 to 13.3 cm) and limiting the days and times they may be caught. While blue crabs remain a popular food in the Chesapeake Bay area, the bay is not capable of meeting local demand, so crabs are shipped in from North Carolina, Louisiana, Florida and Texas as well. The largest male crabs are known as "jimmies", and mature females as "sooks". Immature female crabs are known as "sallies" or "she-crabs". In 1989 the Maryland Blue Crab was designated the State Crustacean, and the tourism slogan "Maryland is for Crabs" can be found on all manner of souvenir items in the state. |
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