Fisherman finds Maryland Blue Crab in Crystal River Flordia

[jack1747]

"CRYSTAL RIVER --

A fisherman in Crystal River made quite the catch this week. Turns out one of his blue crabs had traveled to our area all the way from Maryland! Experts say that's very unusual."  

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2017/12/28/maryland_blue_crab_f.html

[jack1747]

Why do I get the feeling Shack had something to do with this. 

[evinrude 130]

Surely is interesting. If the story is true, that the crab traveled for several years, it's a miracle. Guess that crab stopped molting for some reason.  Not to mention he escaped being caught for so long.

" He noticed the pink tag on the crab and called the number listed. Turns out the crab had been tagged by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in the Chesapeake Bay, and over the course of several years made his way into the gulf and then into King's Bay."

[Wallco99]

That's exactly what I was thinking. All the way from Maryland to Florida without shedding. That would be impressive, or god damned fast.
My assessment: FAKE NEWS. Someone caught him here and dropped him there.

[crabbrgrabbr]

I called BS on this one with my wife as soon as I saw the article. I'm not a biologist, but I've never seen a crab shed and not get a new shell.

[jack1747]

I am not saying this isn't fishy but after decades of keeping Callinectes sapidus in aquariums it might be plausible.  Crabs that I have raised from less then 1" to full term life, stop shedding in the last year of their life.  "Molting is energy dependent. Larger animals must store far more nutrients for molting than do smaller juveniles. Thus, a really big lobster only molts every 2 to 5 to 10 years. Similarly for blue crabs, the larger the crab, the more difficult to store energy for molting."

[evinrude 130]

I called BS on this one with my wife as soon as I saw the article. I'm not a biologist, but I've never seen a crab shed and not get a new shell.

 It liked the tag soo much, it kept it. LOL.

[evinrude 130]

I caught a tagged crab on August 9, 2015. The number was 38985, which represents how many crabs had been tagged so far. This is what the person told me when I called the number on the tag.

[Wallco99]

What was the so called "reward" that they posted on the tag when you caught it?

[evinrude 130]

I called and they mailed me a $5.00 check.

ly 15, 2014
Rewards for Reporting Tagged Blue Crabs in Chesapeake Bay



Have you seen a crab in Chesapeake Bay wearing a pink tag on its back? If you have, please report the tag to us at the Fish and Invertebrate Ecology Lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. The tags are part of two studies on crab biology, migration, and fisheries. Rewards are $5 or $50 depending on which tag you find. Here's a close-up of the tag showing the information we hope you will record and information about how to report the tags::


Funding for this research was provided by Maryland Sea Grant and NOAA's Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program.

[SHELLFISH]

I caught a tagged Horeshoe Crab off Westport CT about five years ago during the summer. It had been tagged off Brooklyn New York the previous fall. That is still a rather long walk for a Horseshoe Crab!
My "reward" was a Horseshoe Crab pin and an 8.5 X 11" poster saying I caught a tagged Horseshoe Crab.
I was more interested in the data than the reward.

I would think this crab is BS. Maybe if it was found along normal migration routes it might be more plausible
I don't know of any migration routes from Maryland bay around the tip of Florida and into the gulf.
Maybe for a sea turtle. I think this crab probably had some turnpike travel

[lone sailor]

I really want to believe it and think its possible due to the fact that as jack said about the molting as they get older and no one really knows all there is about crabs i believe. However the clean tag/wire interests me more unless it was cleaned prior to the photo. On another note we caught one behind hog island in the narrows about 6-7 years ago and he was released  at the mouth of the Chester a much shorter trip lol.

[indoe]

I call BS if that is a pic of the crab caught. No way the tag would be that clean after years in the ocean. I have seen stuff growing on crab shells as well as you all know how dark and dirty a crab shell will get before it sheds. There is no way the tag does not have a bunch of dirt or barnacles growing on it.

I caught a tagged striper off OC MD that was tagged in NJ. I think I received a letter stating I caught a tagged striper but that was like 8 years ago.

[jack1747]

I call BS if that is a pic of the crab caught. No way the tag would be that clean after years in the ocean. I have seen stuff growing on crab shells as well as you all know how dark and dirty a crab shell will get before it sheds. There is no way the tag does not have a bunch of dirt or barnacles growing on it.

I caught a tagged striper off OC MD that was tagged in NJ. I think I received a letter stating I caught a tagged striper but that was like 8 years ago.

Me too.  But I'm thinking that the pic is a "file" photo. 

[trackrat59]

I think this is BS.  No way a crab traveled all that way.    

[Capt. Frank]

I don't know how unusual.  I personally have caught blue crabs on a two 100 mile Everglades canoe trips on the Gulf coast easily caught using handlines.  Crabbed off a dock using left over fish carcasses for bait from dinner.

I'm pretty good at catching crabs in NJ.  But not catching things that are rarely there. 

Also know the raccoons will try to eat the live blue crabs when left in a beached canoe unattended.  Thank god for noisy aluminum canoes or they'd have stole dinner.


 

"CRYSTAL RIVER --

A fisherman in Crystal River made quite the catch this week. Turns out one of his blue crabs had traveled to our area all the way from Maryland! Experts say that's very unusual."  

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2017/12/28/maryland_blue_crab_f.html

[Hawkeye]

I call BS if that is a pic of the crab caught. No way the tag would be that clean after years in the ocean.

The link from this site here
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/tagged-blue-crab-caught-in-citrus-county-catches-biologists-attention

in context shows that the picture is from when the researchers were tagging the crabs prior to release.

I think the crab took southwest air and then an uber car to the river to meet the female crab. Sadly the female did not look like the pic on the internet.   

[evinrude 130]

"I think the crab took southwest air and then an uber car to the river to meet the female crab. Sadly the female did not look like the pic on the internet.   Grin Cheesy"

You think that male crab was Catfished then? LOL

[Wallco99]

Or looking for a nice piece of bass.