Accidental introductions have been attributed to larval introductions via ship ballast water. If blue crabs exist in the vicinity of a culture area, control and protection of cultured shellfish will be necessary.Ĭallinectes sapidus has been successfully introduced, accidentally or intentionally, into both Asia and Europe. Predation rates can be quite high (575 clams/day) on unprotected shellfish beds. It opens shellfish with its claws, by chipping the edge of a valve, or forcing the valves apart. sapidus is a voracious predator of clams, mussels and oysters. Several reviews of the nomenclature, taxonomy, morphology, distribution, life history, population structure and dynamics and the fishery of the blue crab have been published ( Millikin and Williams, 1984 Van Den Avyle, 1984 Hill et al., 1989).Ĭ. Management measures are currently in place in many states in the USA to protect the blue crab fishery industry.
Habitat loss, pollution and heavy fishing have resulted in a decline in blue crab populations in many areas. Blue crabs which have shed their shells, known as soft shell crabs, have more commercial value than hard shell ones these are a highly favoured delicacy in the restaurant trade in the USA. It is the most widely harvested and consumed crab in the USA, which is also the world's main producer of blue crab. It supports large valuable commercial and recreational fisheries in the temperate areas of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the USA (Texas, Florida, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey). The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is of major interest to fisheries in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Western Atlantic.
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