Blue
Crab Research
While I was working on
my master's degree in oceanography at Old
Dominion University,
I had a summer job participating in a research program called the
"Blue Crab Project". Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus)
are commercially valuable crabs found in many estuaries such as the
Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and even the Hudson River Estuary. An
estuary can be defined as a semi-enclosed body of water in which
freshwater and seawater mix. In other words, it is where a river
meets the ocean. Estuaries are extremely important to marine ecology
and fisheries because they serve as nurseries for countless species of
fish and invertebrates.
The main focus
of the blue crab project was to sample, map, and monitor the locations of
the various larval stages of blue crabs in a effort to determine where
they go during their life cycle. This knowledge can help scientists
predict how ocean currents, pollution, and food supplies might affect the
blue crab fishing industry.
During
that summer, I spent many long hours looking through a microscope,
identifying and counting thousands of blue crab larvae (called zooea).
I also spent many long hours at sea on
sampling cruises during which larvae (along with many other zooplankton)
were collected using plankton nets. I learned a great deal that
summer (including the fact that I really do have a problem with sea
sickness).
Today,
blue crab research is still going strong. These beautiful crabs are
still commercially and ecologically valuable (and they taste
delicious!). Check out some of the websites below!
