Atlantic Blue Crab

At a glance

Atlantic Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) is a crustacean regulated in 14 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.

The strictest bag limit is 1 (Pennsylvania); the most generous is 50 (New York).

Across 10 jurisdictions with stated minimum sizes, the average minimum is 4.1 in.

Confirmed by 14,886 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Florida, Texas, and New York the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• Its scientific name, Callinectes sapidus, translates to 'beautiful savory swimmer' in Greek and Latin.
• Females mate only once in their lifetime, storing sperm to fertilize multiple batches of eggs.
• Shell width can reach up to 9 inches (23 cm) at its widest point.
• Paddle-shaped rear swimming legs allow blue crabs to swim sideways with surprising speed.
• They are among the most commercially important seafood species on the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Where Atlantic Blue Crab are seen

• Florida2,696 iNat obs
• Texas1,869 iNat obs
• New York1,614 iNat obs
• Maryland1,261 iNat obs
• New Jersey1,142 iNat obs
• North Carolina1,044 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Atlantic Blue Crab

• AlabamaUnited States · official source
• ConnecticutUnited States · official source
• DelawareUnited States · official source
• FloridaUnited States · official source
• GeorgiaUnited States · official source
• LouisianaUnited States · official source

Background

Callinectes sapidus (from the Ancient Greek κάλλος kállos 'beautiful' + νήκτης nḗktēs 'swimmer', and the Latin sapidus 'savory'), commonly known as the blue crab, Atlantic blue crab, or, regionally, the Maryland blue crab, is a species of crab native to the waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and introduced internationally.

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Atlantic Blue Crab article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.