Download or read book Fluctuations in the Abundance of the Blue Crab in Chesapeake Bay written by John Cleary Pearson and published by . This book was released on 1948 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun) of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts supports the largest crab fishery in the United States. Chesapeake Bay on the Atlantic coast and the estuarine waters of Louisiana on the Gulf coast now furnish 75 percent of the catch. Fluctuations in the abundance of blue crabs have occurred over the past half century in Chesapeake Bay where year-round fisheries have long been established. This report examines the nature and causes of fhese fluctuations. Several natural factors which appear to regulate the annual survival rate and the abundance of the blue crab are discussed on the basis of available knowledge.