A world Without …
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- The Blue Crab gets the name from the color of its claws.
- Crabs, like every other creature in the Bay
- Like the Chesapeake Bay critters mentioned in previous chapters
- Besides the crab pots, in Warner’s Chapter 9
- Continuing with the destruction of populations
- Even though crab populations
- A World with the Chesapeake Bay, Menhaden, Oysters, and Blue Crabs is a world that I want to live in.
- Oyster, Crabs, and Menhaden all share the same common traits.
- When all things have been considered and everything is said and done
- These few reasons are why nobody dares think about a world without Menhaden, Oysters, Blue Crabs, and especially without the Chesapeake Bay.
| Brady Knight
Following suit with the previous three chapters in our “A World Without …” series, the next species on the list are Blue Crabs. Although all crabs are important, we’re focusing on the Blue Crab specifically because it shares the Chesapeake Bay with you and I. These crustaceous organisms are just as important as the Menhaden and Oysters are that all reside in the great Chesapeake Bay. The Blue Crab gets the name from the color of its claws. An adult crab of this variety has a blue color on the tips of its claws. This makes the crab rather unique to the Bay because of this rather cool feature. Now when it comes to crabs, there are the male crabs or “Jimmy” and the female crabs or “Sook”. Anyone can tell the difference very easily because on the under-side of the crab, the apron is different. Female crabs have a wider apron, whereas male crabs have a very skinny narrow apron. You probably have seen a male crab before because the jimmy is the one you eat when you go to the annual family gathering. (To the left, is a drawing of a Sook and Jimmy side by side for comparison) 
Crabs, like every other creature in the Bay, are opportunistic eaters. Meaning that they will eat whatever the crabs can get their claws on. Things like dead fish meat, small plants, and the like are prime suspect for a crab’s dinner. Besides from what they eat, a full grown crab does not have too much to worry about. Besides the Human, animals from turtles to seabirds will prey on these crabs. Young crabs or crab larvae are very susceptible to all predators who may roam the sea in their vulnerable state. Like the Chesapeake Bay critters mentioned in previous chapters, the biggest threat to the Blue Crab, is the human. Like the menhaden and the oysters, overfishing is one of the biggest challenges that faces the modern crab. From high demands in a booming industrial revolution, nothing stopped watermen from having crab pots scattered in the Bay while they dredged for Oysters. In William W. Warner’s Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay, his second chapter “Autumn, Deal Island,” the author goes out on the water with local fisherman, Grant Corbin, and some other crewman. During this time, he catalogs what they did from pulling in over 200 crab pots, to even eating lunch on the water. Now consider one waterman having over 200 of his own pots in the Chesapeake Bay, now considers a hundred more waterman putting about 200 crab pots on the water. Very quickly, the crab population can be hit very hard just like the oysters and menhaden. 
Besides the crab pots, in Warner’s Chapter 9 “Summer and Scraping”, he again tells how he visited with local watermen and explored how their lives are and how they do what they do. In this, they hint at something called Scraping. Scraping is a long net with a wide open mouth used to scrap the seafloor for crabs. The waterman explains that the legal size of a net is about three feet wide, whereas his own scraps are four feet. He simply says that he would rather pay the fine, and continue doing what he has done for the past several years, than change how everything is done. Scraping and crab pots are ways of collecting crabs, and even though these processes are not bad, but when done by tons of watermen, over-crabbing becomes a huge problem. Continuing with the destruction of populations, the big factor of pollution also seriously affects crabs. In more recent times, from said pollution creates infamous Dead Zones in the Chesapeake Bay. These dead zones contain almost no oxygen, essentially killing fish. When these fish die and float to the surface, that decline in food for the crabs has a crucial effect. When looking at the transfers of energy in the Bay’s food chain. The Sun provides energy into plankton through photosynthesis, and then when eaten by a fish like a Menhaden. There is a transfer of about 10% energy, where the other 90% may be emitted through heat and so. Then these menhaden get caught in a frenzy with some larger Blue Fish, who tear the menhaden apart and only getting 10% of that. And at the bottom of the frenzy, as mentioned in The Most Important Fish in the Sea, the crabs pick up the remains of destroyed menhaden. Now considering how much “energy” is in that little sliver of fish, and that the crab gets about 10% from that. That is a very small percentage of energy these crabs receive. If a dead zone comes along and moves or kills several fish, that do not go to the bottom of the bay for crabs. A blue crab not finding food for its dinner is now a very serious and vital problem. Not to mention, this is happening all over the vast Chesapeake Bay. 
Even though crab populations may be in decline, there are still many things we can do to keep it going. The biggest step would be crabbing in moderation, and continue to limit what certain watermen can do. And upon buying crabs for family dinners, remember to always buy from certified crab sellers, buying and supporting illegal crab operations where the illegal (too small) crabs are sold, or where the crabs may be coming from restricted only supports these problems and makes things a whole lot worse. A World with the Chesapeake Bay, Menhaden, Oysters, and Blue Crabs is a world that I want to live in. It is not crazy to fathom such feats because we do live in said world. The key points and problems lie within much besides the Bay itself. But nothing that has happened so far is irreversible. The mistakes have been made and the evidence is there for the reviewing. It is just a matter of time before word gets out, people step up, and the right regulations are set it place to bring these populations to former glory. Oyster, Crabs, and Menhaden all share the same common traits. These commonalities are their intrinsic, instrumental and unique properties that are all different, but are very similar. First on the list is the intrinsic value, that each organism exists and do have a purpose in the Chesapeake Bay waters. Secondly, all have tremendous instrumental value. For starters, each animal all have multi-million industries dedicated to the soul-purpose of catching them and selling them. Besides huge economic reasons, all three provide food for predators, give shelter, sponsor life and are vital to their ecosystem in the Bay with several ecological and strategic values. Continuing with how awesome each creature is, these have all created the lifestyle of a watermen. A lifestyle dedicated to going out on a boat every morning at sunrise, checking crab pots, dredging for oyster, and fishing for menhaden. And then, returning to the dock with no sun in sight, either cheerful from a good day’s catch or irritated from a poor catch, a waterman still gets up the next morning and continues his daily duties. And lastly, menhaden, crabs, and oysters are all unique. Each one has its own functions, its own duties, and its own way of living. All three are vital to the Chesapeake Bay. 
When all things have been considered and everything is said and done, the Chesapeake Bay is vital organ to the vast web included in the Bay’s Watershed. But not just because of the waters it boasts, but also because of the multitude of species that reside in its waters. Some of these species being the Oyster, who filters fifty gallons of water in a day and is nutrient rich. Others are the Menhaden, which provided food for early settlers, also provided food to several other fish humans love to eat, and are in modern day fertilizers and pig feed. And lastly, there are the Blue Crabs, which contribute to a huge food industry and are indicator species of environmental change. These few reasons are why nobody dares think about a world without Menhaden, Oysters, Blue Crabs, and especially without the Chesapeake Bay. Acknowledgements (Sources for pictures): http://anxiouswren.deviantart.com/art/Blue-Crabs-Male-vs-Female-337755850 https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Swimmers-Watermen-Crabs-Chesapeake/dp/0316923354 http://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/bayecosystem/foodwebs http://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/more-than-just-the-bay/creatures-of-the-chesapeake/atlantic-menhaden Download 0.55 Mb. Share with your friends:
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