[BlueChip]

Blue Crabs Now in Chester/Deep River
Special Report Megalops Email List
Thank you for all the Yellow Face and Hard Shell Crab Reports

Number of Small Crab Sightings Increase -Central Connecticut Coast
The Connecticut Blue Crab Population and Habitat Study 2010-2015
The Sound School – The ISSP and Capstone Project Proposal
Building a Network of Citizen Monitors
The Search for MegalopsSpecial Report September 27, 2012
You Do Not Need To Be A Scientist To Report!
Reports 1 through 9 (2012) available upon request:
Contact: susan.weber@new-haven.k12.ct.us



I want to respond to all those crabbers who sent in reports regarding the yellow face and hard shell crabs, many with re-growth claws. These reports come in as the Sound School opened and I was not able to respond to all the emails as quickly as desired. Thank you, I do appreciate them.

The surge and appearance of these crabs was noticed by many crabbers; they had brown, some called “rusty” shells, super hard and packed with meat. These crabs are between 3 and 5 years old – (estimate) and some crabbers have referred to them as “river crabs”.

Their shells contain visible damage wounds; some crabbers sent me reports of crabs missing legs and with no claws. Many had reported that the second re-growth claw was about half the size of the larger claw.

Some crabbers who fish the Oyster River in Old Saybrook will recall a similar wave of late season yellow face crabs last year. Catches were small until this population showed and catches dramatically increased almost overnight. The yellow color it seems has passed with the shedding process; my son Willard recently brought in a huge 7.5” soft shell that still carried the brilliant yellow face. This specimen is at the Sound School for monitoring.

This year’s migration occurred later but was much larger. These crabs are large and some crabbers have noticed a slightly different claw shape, a more “hooked” or bowed claw rather than a straight jaw. In some visits to the Essex Town Dock, I have noticed this difference also. I have no idea what this feature may mean or represent.

CT River crabbing remains good and on September 10th I obtained two reports that blue crabs have followed the tidal wedge up to Deep River and even to Chester. This also occurred for a brief time in 2010. Hand liners from boats report good catches in the lower CT River. Late summer reports from the Mystic River also mention excellent catches.

What is encouraging for next year are three reports from minnow seines; people who seine for silversides for snapper blue bait. They now report increasing numbers of small crabs, but we have so many species – spider, green, blue, lady, it might be different species all mixed together, but these reports may provide clues as to survival of the Megalops.

Any reports of small crabs along the shore would be helpful.

Thanks again for all the reports about these yellow face hard shell adult crabs.

Tim Visel
The Sound School

Email reports to: tim.visel@new-haven.k12.ct.us

The Search for Megalops is part of a Project Shellfish/Finfish Student/Citizen Monitoring Effort Supported by a 2005 grant to The Sound School from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant #2005-0191-001.
The Sound School is a Regional High School Agriculture Science and Technology Center enrolling students from 23 participating Connecticut communities.
Program reports are available upon request.
For more information about New Haven Environmental Monitoring Initiative or for reports please contact Susan Weber, Sound School Communications, Adult Education and Outreach Program Coordinator at susan.weber@new-haven.k12.ct.us