Native Blue Crab eats invasive Green Crab - Rhode Island, United States
https://old.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFuckingLit/comments/16ikqsh/native_blue_crab_eats_invasive_green_crab_rhode/
I had no idea some crabs could swim. Fascinating, it looks like his back legs have adapted to be flipper like.
Yeah, blue crabs are amphibious but mostly stay underwater just coming up to the surface or along the shoreline to feed.
NOAA: The blue crab native range is along the Atlantic Coast of the Americas from Nova Scotia to Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico.
They are over-fished just about everywhere as their meat is a pricey delicacy. The crab pots used to be put out by the hundreds in the river behind my house.
When they molt -go 'softshell'- they become a super delicacy$$ as the whole body can be breaded, deep fried, and eaten.
>overfished
So, they don't have the lobster rule where the eggers and huge old lobsters are set free for the blue crab? If they are that valuable, you'd think they'd want to protect them.
>rule
Good question. I'm not well versed on NC commercial fishing regs but I do know that there was a decades-old minimum size requirement when a crabber runs a 'shedder' to harvest soft-shell blue crabs. It appears that we instituted regulations roughly similar to the lobster laws in May 2020....
"Some of the management measures include keeping the harvest of immature female hard crabs statewide and crab dredges prohibited and a 5-inch minimum size limit for mature female hard crabs statewide.
The plan also establishes new and adjusts existing crab spawning sanctuaries where it is unlawful to set or use trawls, pots and mechanical methods for oysters or clams, or take crabs with the use of commercial fishing equipment at certain times of the year."
New Blue Crab Management Rules to Begin | Coastal Review
https://coastalreview.org/2020/04/new-blue-crab-management-rules-to-begin/
I watch some of this video, it shows some comm crabbing details.
Soft Shell Crab Shedding
https://www.fox8live.com/video/2021/08/27/soft-shell-crab-shedding/
Related. Date line: Italy
>blue crabs
Italians cope with invasion of blue crabs this summer
https://www.boston.com/news/food/2023/08/20/italians-cope-with-invasion-of-blue-crabs-this-summer/
At least they are edible.
>Italy
They do pinch pretty hard if you step on one while swimming --the big ones can take out a small chunk of skin. This won't go over well on the topless beaches, hhh.
BTW, they are omnivore scavengers.
vid: Crab molts its shell
https://old.reddit.com/r/BeAmazed/comments/18497ud/incredible_video_shows_ultrarare_moment_a/
Now completely vulnerable and delicious.