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Scientific Research Enhances Soft Shell Crab Yield
| Article
# : |
10764 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
1 / 1986 |
3,860 Words |
| Author
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Chris Plummer
Chris Plummer is a free-lance writer from Gloucester,
Virginia. She primarily writes in the marine, maritime and
physical science fields. |
In this century, some of the most impressive fruits of scientific research have been the enhanced yield and improved quality of the foods we eat. After exponentially increasing food production on land, science and industry have turned to the ocean's potential harvest. Although a number of lesser known species of fish will probably become the "king corn" in terms of mass feeding, most seafood lovers would like to see an increase in the availability of Crustacea like lobster, shrimp and crab. A number of aquaculture or water farming techniques have been developed which show great promise. One project is already leading to increased availability and better quality of the crab afficionado's favorite, the soft shell crab.
For the uninitiated, the soft shell crab is a blue crab callinectes sapidus which has just shed its hard shell. It can be cooked and eaten whole--new soft shell, pincers, legs and all. Until recently the soft shell was enjoyed only by local residents in the temperate areas of the coastal Atlantic and the Gulf coast. Modern methods of rapid transportation, refrigeration, and increased marketing have expanded the soft shell market throughout the United States, Japan, and recently, into Europe. The supply of soft shells, however, has never been able to meet the demand.
In the better-known "hard shell" state, a blue crab will wholesale for about $.08, but a soft shell easily commands $1.00. The higher profit margin has encouraged nearly all the mid-Atlantic, southern and Gulf coastal states to look closely at the potential for soft shell harvesting. With the increased interest has come expanded research, and in the past five years, improved production techniques. Applied scientists have used the results of research into the physiology and biochemistry of crabs, and then combined that knowledge with studies into the organic chemistry of seawater and new engineering designs for water purification, to revitalize the soft shell crab industry.
The blue crab derives its name from the brilliant coloration on the pincer claw. The blue is deepest on the adult male or "jimmy". The adult female, the "sook," has blue-tinged claws also, but the tips are red. The crab's shell is olive drab to brown on the top and grey-white underneath.
Male, immature female, and mature female crabs can be easily differentiated by the shape of their abdomen or "apron." The male has a narrow, inverted "T"-shaped apron; the immature female, a wide triangular-shaped apron; and the mature female's apron is a fully rounded, half-circle, grey-green in
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