Feb. 24th NSB Mosquito Lagoon

[booman17]

I went with some family camping on an island on Mosquito Lagoon (near JB's Fish Camp).  I brought my two ring nets to throw out while on the island.  I would say I crabbed off and on for approx 4 hours and caught 6 male crabs.  Not much size to any of them.  We then took the boat out fishing that evening for some Reds.  The people I was with were using crabs as bait.  While fishing for Reds using blue crabs, I reeled in two very large rusty bellied male crabs.  I thought this was interesting that using smaller crabs as bait could yield bigger blue crabs at the end of your line!  Is this common? 

[Hawkeye]

crabs are cannibals for sure!  I assume the crabs you used for bait were killed or quartered?  or perhaps even softer?  

Anyways crabs love other crabs almost as much as we love to eat em.  ha ha ha!

It's one of the biggest reasons why aquaculture with crabs has failed miserably...because they eat one another! 

[SHELLFISH]

The same reason aquaculture doesn't work on American Lobsters.
They would have to house them individually and that makes it cost prohibitive.

Thanks for the report booman

[Hawkeye]

The same reason aquaculture doesn't work on American Lobsters.
They would have to house them individually and that makes it cost prohibitive.

Thanks for the report booman

They actually do that  on a small scale in Bar Harbor Maine.  Check out the PVC "rooms" for the lobsters when they are sized right.  When smaller they are in giant vats.

it is either non-profit or state run- I forget.  Mount Desert Oceanarium.  The local lobsterman are allowed to bring in females with eggs to this site so that they can raise the babies until they are about juvi bite size...and released back into the wild.  It's faster and hopefully bypasses a lot of the loss the baby lobsters endure.  

[SHELLFISH]

Neat picture of the juvis!
A juvenile Lobster looks like the adults just smaller! I used to like looking at them in my Lobster pots!

[tattoo]

good stuff