There’s something about hauling a trap to the surface full of those spindly-legged critters. We’re talking blue crabs here, friends. You instantly has to wonder: Who can go home with me, and who needs to be returned to the watery depths? It’s part panic, part excitement; no one want to sort through a batch of shorts or heaven forbid retain an overage that violates local regs. For seafood snack it feels like there’s more on the line then there ought to be.
But since size determines everything from market worth to legality and even the amount of meat per crab, it is important for us to understand what these buggers realy look like. Most newbies falter when they try to measure the carapace properly as described in this visual guide. All they need to remember is that it’s all about the widest part of the shell; no matter what, don’t include legs or claws in your measurement, just focus on width from point to point.
How to Measure Blue Crabs Correctly
It sounds counter-intuitive, because those spindly little limbs realy make the creature appear imposing when it’s swimming around in water. But if you think leg span equals size (which it does not) then you’re going to get a distorted image and end up over-estimating its size. This will lead to either having to release a completely legal crab out of ignorance or keeping an illegally sized crab in your possession out of confusion. People mess that detail up all the time.
Before you pull the very first trap, familiarize yourself with proper rules for your region. Alaska measures king crabs from front to back by the way, so know the specifics of where you live. Having that measurement down pat would of saved you from having to release a perfectly legal crab out of ignorance, or keeping an illegal crab out of pure confusion.
There’s also this whole issue of what you’re realy paying for besides the ruler work. As infographic points out, not all crab meat is created equal. Of the crabs listed, Dungeness crabs is a safe bet for real meal production. They’ll give you roughly twenty-five percent of the animal’s weight in edible meat. Although blue crabs have quite a reputation, they only produce roughly fifteen percent of the animal’s weight as meat; most of the rest goes into internal organs and shells. A little thing, sure. But something to consider if you’re planning a solo boil vs. A dinner party.
With all those long legs, snow crab might look impressive, but a lot of that bulk is empty space between two adult-sized sofa joints. So take a minute and know those numbers; then decide whether you want more or less depending on how hungry your crew realy is.
In addition, when it comes time to handle live crabs they are a different animal altogether. They’ll shrink up some upon death as well, making it important that you measure them while alive if you’re keeping strict track of your limit. It’s always best practice to gently put undersize crab back into the water with maximum odds of survival, but in many states such as Virginia and Maryland, even if an egg bearing female is under the minimum carapace width, she must still be released.
The reason behind this regulation is that we want to protect these crabs from breeding during key times which will help maintain healthy population levels for future anglers to share and enjoy. Breaking these regulations isn’t just costly. You can get a nasty fine. It also harms the resource for others to use too.
As important as the measurements are, the preparations. For example, if you want to work the tide, you’ll be targeting active feeders on moving water. You should does this two hours before the incoming flow catches them in the current. And for the bait? Raw fish heads or chicken necks work much better than any kind of processed bait because they don’t get washed off as easy. And you should constantly refresh that bait, every hour or two keeping it fresh and appealing.
When pulling your traps, use a dip net so the crabs don’t escape (which will empty a full trap in a matter of seconds). To keep your catch fresh, place them in a bushel basket lined with wet burlap which will keep them cool until it’s time to eat.
Finally, most states has bag limits and require licensing along the coast, so make sure you check the rules in your area before heading out. It really does go back to treating the animal right, properly measuring it, and taking home only what you can manage responsibily.