Florida s Blue Crab Fishery

Transcription

1 Florida s Blue Crab Fishery

2 2012 Seafood Webinar Series Presenters Dr. Lisa Krimsky, Miami-Dade Sea Grant Extension Agent Bryan Fluech, Collier County Sea Grant Extension Agent

3 Using Elluminate Hand raising and emotion functions Polling function

4 Image credit: Bryan Fluech, FSG Goals 1. Increase your knowledge of a blue crab s basic biology and ecology 2. Enhance your understanding of the trends, importance, and management of Florida s blue crab fishery 3. Make you a more informed consumer in the purchasing and handling of blue crabs

5 Map credit: UGA Extension Service Image credit: Maryland DNR Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus- Beautiful savory swimmer Calli = beautiful nectes = swimmer sapidus = savory Estuarine dependent Image credit: Jessie Cohen/National Zoo

6 Blue Crab

7 Life Cycle Image adapted by: Lisa Krimsky, FSG

8 Mating Doublers Image credits:

9 Molting Image credits: Alicia Young-Williams-

10 Image credit: Bryan Fluech, FSG Florida s Commercial Blue Crab Fishery One of top 10 commercial fisheries in FL million pounds landed $10.3 million dockside value Predominantly a trap fishery conducted in state waters Historic economic link for many coastal communities

11 2010 Blue Crab Landings By County : Over 500,000 lbs : 100, ,000 lbs : 50, ,000 lbs : 10,001-50,000 lbs : 1-10,000 lbs Data Source: FWRI

12 Image credit: Bryan Fluech, FSG Florida s Commercial Blue Crab Fishery Blue Crab Effort Management Program Limited access fishery Endorsement holders Hard crab Soft crab Incidental take Limited gear per endorsement Establishment of a Blue Crab Advisory Board

13 Image credit: Bryan Fluech, FSG Which of the following statements about Florida commercial blue crab regulations is FALSE? A. Crabs must have at least a 5 inch carapace width to harvest B. Harvesting of all females crabs is illegal C. Use of blue crab traps in federal waters is prohibited D. A saltwater products license is required to commercially harvest and sale blue crab

14 Pounds Landed in Millions Commercial Landings Florida landings contribute ~6% of total US harvest Percent of total US harvest Florida landings Percent Data Source: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service

15 Pounds Landied in Millions 20 Commercial Effort Average Value ~$9 Million/Year # Trips Florida landings Trips in Thousands Data Source: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service and FWRI

16 Image credits: Bryan Fluech, FSG Blue Crab Traps Wire mesh* 2 or 4 entrance funnels Bait well Escape rings FWC issued tag Marked Float V Endorsement number image credit: FWC

17 Image credit: FWC Fishery Issues Competition with crab imports Rising fuel costs Tampering with traps Bycatch and derelict traps

18 Map credit: FWC Blue Crab Trap Closures Image credit: GSMFC Image credit: Bryan Fluech, FSG Image credit: Lisa Krimsky, FSG

19 Processing Hard Sold live and steamed, whole Picked meat from cooked crabs Pasteurized Fresh, ice-packed Softshell Peeler crabs held in shedding tanks until molting complete Sold frozen, fresh, and live Considered a delicacy Identification of a peeler crab Image credit: H. Perry University of Southern Mississippi

20 Image credit: FSG Which of the following grades is NOT associated with processed blue crab meat? A.Jumbo lump B. Fine C. Special D.Claw

21 Blue Crab Meat Jumbo lump: Largest unbroken white meat Lump/backfin : white body meat-smaller and broken pieces of lump and flake meat Special: finer flakes of body meat least expensive Claw meat: 2 varieties: claw meat and cocktail claws

22 Image credit: Bryan Fluech, FSG Purchasing and Handling Blue Crabs Live: Look for leg movement Refrigerate in breathable container Do NOT store directly on ice Fresh Meat Store in coldest part of refrigerator Serve within 7 to 10 days Pasteurized Meat: Unopened containers can be stored up 6 months Once opened: use within 3 days Softshell: Refrigerate and cook within 2 days

23 Recreational Blue Crabbing Closed Season Size Limit Daily Bag Limit Allowable Gear Remarks Sept 20- Oct 4 in Gulf state waters beyond 3 miles and federal waters None 10 gallons whole per harvester per day 5 trap maximum Dip or landing net Drop net Harvest of eggbearing FM prohibited Regional Closures* A fold up trap Hook and line push scrape Trotline A valid recreational saltwater fishing license is required harvest blue crabs unless you qualify for an exemption Image credit: Bryan Fluech, FSG

24 At Home Preparation Preparing Blue Crab: A Seafood Delicacy:

25 Nutrition Calories 90 Calories From Fat 10 Total Fat 1 g Saturated Fat 0 g Cholesterol 80 mg Total Sodium 320 mg Total Carbohydrates 0 g Protein 19 g Vitamin A 0% DV Vitamin C 0 % DV Calcium 10 % DV Iron 6 % DV Omega-3 Fatty Acid.32 g Serving Size: Whole crab: 3 to 4 Crab meat: 1/6 pound

26 Blue Crab Resources Blue crab life history and processing video from the University of Georgia Marine Extension Service: Blue crab educator resources from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center: Youtube video on peeler crabs and shedding tanks: Blue crab buying information and recipes from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:

27 Thank You! Please do not forget to complete the online evaluation that will be sent to you! Image Credit: Bryan Fluech, FSG Webinar Recordings

28 Answers to Webinar Questions (Slide 13) Which of the following statements about Florida commercial blue crab regulations is FALSE? Answer B (Slide 20) Which of the following grades is NOT associated with processed blue crab meat? Answer B

29 *Correction (2/18/12) We wanted to make you aware that a mistake was made during the blue crab webinar. When discussing the trend in commercial landings we stated that the drop in landings and trips was a result of (other than fluctuations in environmental factors) the 1998 moratorium on endorsement holders and the implementation of the blue crab effort management plan in This is not true. Dr. Ryan Gandy a research scientist with FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, caught the mistake and helped clarify the issue. "When catch is low trips follow suit as crabbers put less effort to crabbing when they are negative financial returns due to low crab abundance, during low rainfall years. There is a big coincidence of the low rainfall, low landings and reduced trips all occurring when management action occurred. When the moratorium on new licenses went into effect this did not reduce the number of fishers in the fishery; it merely held that number at the existing level by not issuing new endorsements. When the effort management and trap tag program went into effect (2007) it facilitated the removal of unused latent endorsements but these (as implied) were not fished. We now have a known number of fished endorsements and traps. Only latent effort has been reduced."