How Long Does a Blue Crab Live?
“The first order of business in doing an assessment is literally to define the characteristics of the species,” says Rugolo. For the blue crab, like other species, this means identifying its life history, how soon it matures, how fast it grows, how long it lives – these are examples of biological reference points that can then help scientists calculate levels of catch or exploitation that will leave enough crabs to sustain stocks at a desired level. The blue crab’s natural longevity is an important factor here and one still disputed by scientists. So far, no reliable method exists for calculating the age of blue crabs, a process made difficult by molting, where the crab leaves its shell – and evidence of its age – behind. The question of aging is crucial. According to John McConaugha of Old Dominion University, if the crab reaches maturity quickly, only living to age three, as many scientists have believed, then one could argue that fishermen may as well harvest them, since market-size
