Warmer weather helping blue crabs flourish
Charles Walsh, Correspondent
Published: 12:28 a.m., Sunday, September 19, 2010
Restaurant patron: Waiter, do you serve blue crabs?
Waiter: No, sir, all our crabs are very cheerful.
Okay, it's not funny, but the truth is, something is making the blue crabs in Long Island Sound very content this season.
It is no exaggeration to state the blue crab population of Long Island Sound exploded this season. Even veteran crabbers have been impressed by the numbers and sizes of blue crabs clinging to piers and scurrying around the feet of bathers at local beaches. Some observers estimate blue crab numbers are 30 or 40 percent higher than in recent years.
I've never seen anything like it," said Fred Frillici of Fairfield, a long-time crustacean chaser who was reluctant to divulge his favorite crabbing spots. "We'll probably never know the real reason why there are so many, but it's great for people who love crabs."
Whether used in pasta sauce, crab cakes or, best of all, just coated with Old Bay Seafood Seasoning, steamed, and served with a hammer for cracking, blue crabs are one of the great delicacies of the sea.
While it is true that the absolute reason for the current increase will not be known, marine scientists say that one of the chief factors in crab population fluctuations is the gradually rising temperatures in the coastal waters of Long Island Sound. Blue crabs love warm water.
Mark Alexander of the DEP's Marine Fisheries Division in Old Lyme said that while the state does not monitor blue crab numbers as they do fish, there is no doubt the population is way up. He said the milder winters of the past couple of years also play an important role in crab survival rates. When the water gets very cold, blue crabs bury themselves in the mud bank of estuaries to hibernate until spring.
"But when there is a lot of ice, it takes a heavy toll on blue crabs," Alexander said. In severe winters, the cold penetrates the mud and crabs literally freeze to death in massive numbers.
Because blue crab meat is hard to extract (thus the hammer) they are rarely commercially harvested in Long Island Sound. That is not the case in Maryland, where the blue crab is the state crustacean. A vigorous blue crab industry exists in the Chesapeake Bay centered on Crisfield Island, where a Blue Crab Festival is held each summer.
Blue crabs are native to the western edge of the Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to Argentina, but have spread worldwide by means of their eggs mixing with ballast water in ships.
In Connecticut, the blue crab season extends from May 1 to Nov. 1. Hardshell crabs must be 5 inches from point to point (this refers to the points on extremes of the crab's top shell). Softshell crabs, those caught just after shedding their old shell, must be at least 3.5 inches point to point. Legal crabbing techniques are scoop nets, hand lines, dip nets and trotlines. Crab traps are permitted but limited in type and size.
Although the blue crabs are beginning to become less active, there's still time to get out and catch a few. One piece of advice: When going for blue crabs, a heavy pair of gloves is a good idea. They are very irascible when trapped and have a formidable set of pincers to back up their threats.
Charles Walsh, Correspondent
Published: 12:28 a.m., Sunday, September 19, 2010
Restaurant patron: Waiter, do you serve blue crabs?
Waiter: No, sir, all our crabs are very cheerful.
Okay, it's not funny, but the truth is, something is making the blue crabs in Long Island Sound very content this season.
It is no exaggeration to state the blue crab population of Long Island Sound exploded this season. Even veteran crabbers have been impressed by the numbers and sizes of blue crabs clinging to piers and scurrying around the feet of bathers at local beaches. Some observers estimate blue crab numbers are 30 or 40 percent higher than in recent years.
I've never seen anything like it," said Fred Frillici of Fairfield, a long-time crustacean chaser who was reluctant to divulge his favorite crabbing spots. "We'll probably never know the real reason why there are so many, but it's great for people who love crabs."
Whether used in pasta sauce, crab cakes or, best of all, just coated with Old Bay Seafood Seasoning, steamed, and served with a hammer for cracking, blue crabs are one of the great delicacies of the sea.
While it is true that the absolute reason for the current increase will not be known, marine scientists say that one of the chief factors in crab population fluctuations is the gradually rising temperatures in the coastal waters of Long Island Sound. Blue crabs love warm water.
Mark Alexander of the DEP's Marine Fisheries Division in Old Lyme said that while the state does not monitor blue crab numbers as they do fish, there is no doubt the population is way up. He said the milder winters of the past couple of years also play an important role in crab survival rates. When the water gets very cold, blue crabs bury themselves in the mud bank of estuaries to hibernate until spring.
"But when there is a lot of ice, it takes a heavy toll on blue crabs," Alexander said. In severe winters, the cold penetrates the mud and crabs literally freeze to death in massive numbers.
Because blue crab meat is hard to extract (thus the hammer) they are rarely commercially harvested in Long Island Sound. That is not the case in Maryland, where the blue crab is the state crustacean. A vigorous blue crab industry exists in the Chesapeake Bay centered on Crisfield Island, where a Blue Crab Festival is held each summer.
Blue crabs are native to the western edge of the Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to Argentina, but have spread worldwide by means of their eggs mixing with ballast water in ships.
In Connecticut, the blue crab season extends from May 1 to Nov. 1. Hardshell crabs must be 5 inches from point to point (this refers to the points on extremes of the crab's top shell). Softshell crabs, those caught just after shedding their old shell, must be at least 3.5 inches point to point. Legal crabbing techniques are scoop nets, hand lines, dip nets and trotlines. Crab traps are permitted but limited in type and size.
Although the blue crabs are beginning to become less active, there's still time to get out and catch a few. One piece of advice: When going for blue crabs, a heavy pair of gloves is a good idea. They are very irascible when trapped and have a formidable set of pincers to back up their threats.