. 5 cm (from Goode 1884) Common Name: blue crab Scientific Name: Callinectes sapidus Other Common Names: jimmies (males), sooks (adult females), common edible crab, sallies, spongers, sponge crab, berry crab, soft shell, soft shelled crab, hard crab; crabe bleu (French), cangrejo azul, jaiba azul (Spanish) (Fischer 1978, NOAA 1985). Classification (Williams et al. 1989) Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Crustacea Order: Decapoda Family: Portunidae Value Commercial: Commercial blue crab landings have been reported from the Gulf of Mexico since 1880, although the data are not continuous prior to 1948 (S
. 5 cm (from Goode 1884) Common Name: blue crab Scientific Name: Callinectes sapidus Other Common Names: jimmies (males), sooks (adult females), common edible crab, sallies, spongers, sponge crab, berry crab, soft shell, soft shelled crab, hard crab; crabe bleu (French), cangrejo azul, jaiba azul (Spanish) (Fischer 1978, NOAA 1985). Classification (Williams et al. 1989) Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Crustacea Order: Decapoda Family: Portunidae Value Commercial: Commercial blue crab landings have been reported from the Gulf of Mexico since 1880, although the data are not continuous prior to 1948 (Steele and Perry 1990). With the introduction of the wire crab trap and improved shipping methods came an increased availablility of fresh raw product, which stimulated processing capacity, market development, and consumer demand. Since 1984, Gulf landings have increased greatly, at least partially as a result of increased fishing effort. Declining catches and in- creased regulation of otherfisheries may have prompted many fishermen to turn to crabbing to supplement their income. The commercial value of the Gulf of Mexico blue crab fishery is difficult to estimate. Many blue crab fisher- men use unsurveyed market channels which lead to under-reporting of landings (Roberts and Thompson 1982, Keithly et al. 1988). In additon, large numbers of blue crabs are harvested as incidental catch during shrimping operations (Adkins 1972b, Steele and Perry 1990). These crabs are sold, eaten, given away, or swapped for supplies and thus not reported as land- ings. With this under-reporting noted, the following landings are presented. In 1994, 24,123 mt of blue crab, valued at $ million, were reported in the Gulf region (NMFS 1997). The contribution of the Gulf of Mexico to total blue crab landings reached a peak of 38% in 1987, but has remained below 30% since 1990 . The annual proportional contribution of each Gulf State to harvest is variable (Perry pers. comm.). However, since 197
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