Purple Marsh Crab Research Paper

Ray McClain). The ‘farmed’ and the wild crawfish are both composed of the same species, the red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) and the white river crawfish (P. zonangulus). The more popular of the two crustaceans the red swamp crawfish, as it is caught more often is purchased more at the market. There are other crustaceans that are important to the basin besides crawfish, however. Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are a vital resource in Louisiana’s seafood industry. The crabs are harvested by way of traps. In the case that the traps are lost or abandoned, they will continue to catch crabs. This is leading to a downturn in the blue crab population. Fish are also affected by the traps, as they are also caught. Despite the risked to the crab population, , the Marine Stewardship Council recognized the Louisiana blue crab fishery as the only sustainable blue crab fishery in the world in March of

Crabs spawn near the mouth of the Bay in Virginia water, therefore few sponge crabs (female crabs carrying eggs) are seen in Maryland (“Chesapeake Wildlife”). Juvenile crabs migrate northward to feed and grow in the brackish creeks of the Tidewater.

It shares ancestral background with shrimp and lobsters. They are omnivores with their prey being mussels, fish, plants, and smaller blue crabs (Society). Although the Blue Crab is well established within its ecosystem it is highly sensitive to environmental and habitat changes ("Blue Crab, Maryland State Crustacean", 2016). The detrimental conditions of the Chesapeake Bay have affected the populations of Blue Crabs along with over harvesting.

The sirenia’s habitat is located in the warm coastal waters. In fact, manatees cannot live in water colder than 68℉. They can be found where there is an abundance of seagrass or vegetation. This species can live in either freshwater or saltwater and are usually by boating docks. They migrate to near the equator in the colder months. During the summer months, they travel as far north as Massachusetts and as far west as Louisiana and Texas. Manatees are seen in coastal

Horseshoe crabs live in the Delaware Bay and give birth to their offspring there. At this time the red knots, a type of bird, migrate to the area to collect food. The food they collect is the newly conceived horseshoe crab eggs that are buried along the shore sand.

Distribution: There are eight subspecies of the beach mouse, including five on the Gulf Coast (Alabama beach mouse (P. p. ammobates), Perdido Key beach mouse (P. p. tryssyllepsis), Santa Rosa beach mouse (P. p. leucocephalus), Choctawatchee beach mouse (P. p. allophrys), and the St. Andrew beach mouse (P. p. peninsularis) and three on the Atlantic Coast (Pallid beach mouse (P. p. decoloratus, Anastasia Island

Yeti’s are mythical monsters, who live in southeastern Asia, and are related to bigfoot and yowie. However, there is an even bigger monster who lurks in the shadows of the arctic ocean. The recently discovered yeti crab. This hairy, blind crab is part of the three known species of the yeti crab(Elizabeth Palermo). The crabs live in the South Ocean in Antarctica, “About 8,500 feet down lives Kiwa tyleri the newest member of the yeti crab family” (Jessica Halel). The scientific name for it is Kiwa tyleri. According to Elizabeth Palermo,author of Yeti' Crab's Strange Body Suits Its Hellish Habitat, “for the first time, K. tyleri is the only species of yeti crab known to reside in the Southern Ocean, off Antarctica”. The crabs gather only a few

This lab is based off of European Green Crabs preying on Periwinkle Snails. From the name, one can tell the European Crab originated in Europe and is not native to North America. The crab ranged its expansion north of Cape Cod, where Periwinkle snails were introduced to a new predator. (McRae, 2015-pg. 1)

Green Crab: This crab has been carried all over by ships. It eats many forms of shore life, including worms and mollusks. In certain areas, due to the appetite of the crab, it has affected the commercial shellfish industry.

It is also prey to other animals, such as horse conch, grouper, sea turtles, cobia,

The above mentioned habitats are crucial because it support priority species in the Bay. Although more than 3,600 different species of plants and animals live in the tidal waters of the Bay, there are priority species that shall be protected. The most important keystone species are the Blue Crab, the Oysters, the Bald Eagle and the Black Duck. Keystone species are valuable components at the community scale because they maintain biodiversity and influence critical ecological process (Peck, 1998:34). Blue crabs not only

Texas is one of few states that are known for their delicious bar-b-que and food in general. I love the juicy ribs dripping in bbq sauce with a side of a loaded baked potato, honey baked beans and coleslaw. Nevertheless, when I moved to Maryland, all I could find was imitation Texas bbq restaurants. To this day, ten years after moving to Maryland, I have yet to know what food Maryland is known for; I was told crabs. I truly despise eating crabs because it takes to much effort. Why would anyone want to have to crack the crab leg, separate the shells from the meat repeatedly? When I’m hungry, I don’t want to have to constantly crack crab legs constantly and still be hungry afterwards. With that being said, we will now draw our attention to the offering of such delicious food; hospitality.

In fact, even in ecosystems where Gemma gemma was the most numerically dominant macroinvertebrate, it was largely avoided and virtually excluded from the diet of horseshoe crabs (Botton, 1984). Also, because there is a size inequality between male and female horseshoe crabs, it is thought that the diets of male and female crabs may differ. Females are much larger than males, which could enable the females to feed on larger prey. Females also dig deeper into the substrate than males, which could give them access to fauna that is unavailable to males (Botton,

Approximately, two or more weeks after the eggs have been laid, larval horseshoe crabs will emerge from the eggs. These larva then migrate to near shore waters and settle on the sandy bottom of tidal flats where they will further develop for another year or so (National Wildlife Federation 2015). As the horseshoe crab larva develops over these next few years, it will gradually move to deeper water and begin eating food more typical of an adult. Limulus polyphemus will reach reproductive age after about ten years. During these years and those after, horseshoe crabs will molt shedding their exoskeleton allowing them to grow a larger shell for their growing size (National Wildlife Federation 2015). Horseshoe crabs will typically molt 16 or 17 times during their

Additionally, the Callinectes sapidus, otherwise known as the blue crab is another native species of the Chesapeake bay. It's decline has been quite evident to the bay and has many effects. With the oysters in the bay, the crab population had been cut by half, from 1980-1990, to 300 million. In 2008, it was reported that the population was declining by 70%. It was quite evident to the researchers that the blue crab population was decreasing due to poor water