Blue Crabs can be found in abundance along the Eastern Seaboard yet they prefer waters
that range from ocean saltiness to fresh. Thus, the Chesapeake Bay provides ideal
conditions. For the Blue Crab, life begins in the Lower Bay where female or "sponge" crabs deposit
their eggs between the first of June and the end of August. The baby crabs, at birth,
are about 1/25 of an inch long. They appear very unlike the mature crabs and, in fact,
bear a stronger resemplance to a swimming question mark with seven pairs of legs and
long tail. These microscopic offspring, or zoea, shed their shells several times in
order to grow.
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After this process, called molting, they develop into a more mature crab form,
called megalops.Typically, crabs hatch from their eggs in June, pass through
the larvae stage by August, and progress up the Bay from early fall until the cold
weather halts their migration. In the spring, at about 12 14 month of age, their journey
resumes and full maturity is reached.
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In order to increase in size, the mature crab must shed its outer skeleton or molt.
Before this shedding stage, it becomes a "peeler" and as the actual shedding of the
old shell occurs, evolves into a "soft" crab. "Soft" crabs are velvety in texture and
are approximately 1/3 larger than the size of the discarded shell. During their
struggle for survival, crabs frequently lose legs and claws. Within a week of losing
an appendage, a new one begins to form though is takes at least two moltings for the
limb to be fully restored.
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The Blue Crab population can be very fickle in nature. Their size and abundance fluctuate
yearly due to environmental conditions such as weather, predators, and the availability
of food and habitat. These variables along with many others determine whether a very
plentiful season will be followed by a lean one.
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