Dr. Rittschof, Duke professor.
The Atlantic blue crab is a species native to waters around Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge and an important cultural, economical, and perhaps most importantly, a culinary resource to the local area. On most weekends, the culverts and canals are crowded with folks throwing chicken legs on the ends of string hoping to pull in crabs, but sometimes finding eels, turtles, and an occasional gar on the end of their line.
The 2nd stop on the journey.
The 3rd stop on the journey.
U.S. Capitol on the belly of the female blue crab.
This morning we had a mutually beneficial relationship with Duke University. Duke needed crabs to tag for research, and we needed crabbers on film. The Mattamuskeet refuge staff helped us connect with Dr. Rittschof, his daughter, and interns Tim and Deb. They were extremely helpful and able to answer the question about why these beautiful swimmers are so large in Mattamuskeet Lake. Professor Rittschof explained it’s a function of season. The lake is 18 miles long, 6 miles wide, and 1 meter deep; when the sunshines in the winter, the water warms up and being freshwater, the salinity levels are lower. This combination of warmth and low calcium allows for perfect molting conditions. The crabs caught today were tagged, flipped to identify sex (which you can tell by either a Washington monument for the males or a Capitol for females), and stored for release later in the day.
The Washington Monument on the belly of the male blue crab.
I never found out why the locals call these crabs tar-hens and tar-jimmies and I’m not sure the nickname gives these crustaceans justice with their blue bodies and pink-tipped claws, but it doesn’t deter from the fact crabbing’s an important recreational use along the coast and I’m glad we captured it here at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge.
Anna Harris is the Vision Coordinator for Conserving the Future and a member of the team taking vision on the road.
