Blue crab tagging study in Gulf of Mexico

[GulfCrabs]

Hello-

I am a researcher with Nicholls State University. We are conducting a research project to better understand blue crab movements throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Over the next two years, we will be tagging 30,000 mature female blue crabs throughout the Gulf. I am attaching a picture of a tagged crab, along with a flyer we are distributing to maximize awareness of the project.

We are reaching out to the commercial and recreational fishing community to ask for your help. If you catch a tagged crab, please call us and report it. We are offering a reward for each tagged crab reported, and are asking for the following information:
-Tag number
-Date caught
-Location caught (GPS if possible, if not a descriptive location with the nearest landmark is fine)
-Was the crab carrying an egg mass/sponge? If so, what color was the egg mass (orange, brown, or black)?

Tagged crabs can be reported at 1-800-624-2857 or www.crabtags.org.

If you have any questions about the project, please do not hesitate to ask. We are also setting up a website with information about the project: http://www.nicholls.edu/bluecrabs. It is still under construction but should have more information soon.

[capt. ron]

Even though these guys and gals are mostly from the East coast they do have a good sense of humor.  Please post a picture of the Nicholls University mascot.  I'm sure they will love it.

Ronnie

[Hawkeye]

i looked it up....he sorta looks like M.Bison from Street Fighter arcade game!   

[Crab Shack]

It says REWARD.  What's the reward? 

[GulfCrabs]

It says REWARD.  What's the reward?  

There is a $5 reward for each recapture reported, with a few tags having a $50 reward.

[GulfCrabs]

Hello everyone-
I just wanted to post a quick message letting everyone know that this blue crab tagging study is continuing in 2017. We've tagged over 6,000 crabs so far and will be tagging in all five Gulf States for at least the next year. Our research group has moved to the University of Southern Mississippi, based at the Gulf Coast Research Lab. For more information on the project, please visit www.crabtags.org or https://bluecrab.usm.edu.

[cja313]

just curious what the anticipated recovery rate of tagged crabs is?

It has to be somewhere in the 5-10% range due to crabs molting and shedding their shells and tags.....

I could see the study being effective with fish, but a crustacean that sheds its shell......hmmm...

[Crab Nebula]

I could see the study being effective with fish, but a crustacean that sheds its shell......hmmm...

From their page:

Q: Won’t the crabs lose the tags when they molt?

A: We are only tagging mature female blue crabs. Female blue crabs molt many times through their life, but once mature they stop molting. By only tagging mature females, we are ensuring that we are only tagging crabs that will not molt.