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Algae BustersBlue Crabs of the Chesapeake Bay | ||
What is a Blue Crab?This information was obtained from http://www.aqua.org/animals_bluecrab.html.
"Description of Animal In spite of their colorful name, blue crabs are mainly grayish to bluish green. Only the claws are blue, and the claws of mature females also have bright orange-red tips. There’s another easy way to distinguish males from females: Maryland locals look for the "apron." Males have a “t” shaped abdomen, and females have triangular abdomens that become rounder as they age. Crabs grow by shedding their shells, a process called molting. They take in water to expand and break out of the old shell. A new soft shell underneath hardens quickly. With three pairs of walking legs, they generally walk sideways, clearing a path with sharp lateral spines. Large, powerful claws are used for defense, digging, sexual displays, and to gather food. " What is an algal bloom?This information was obtained from http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/a/algal_bloom.htm.
"An algal bloom or marine bloom or water bloom is a rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system... As more algae and plants grow, others die. This dead organic matter becomes food for bacteria that decompose it. With more food available, the bacteria increase in number and use up the dissolved oxygen in the water. When the dissolved oxygen content decreases, many fish and aquatic insects cannot survive. This results in a dead area. Algal blooms may also be of concern as some species of algae produce neurotoxins." |
WelcomeWelcome to the homepage of the Algae Busters. We are an eCybermission team dedicated to our environmental goals. Recently, we found that the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries have been experiencing dangerous algal blooms throughout the past decade. After careful research, we found that these blooms are leading to a dwindling population of blue crabs in the bay.Then, we decided to do a little water testing. We learned that algae grows in very nutrient-rich waters. We researched various fertilizers and came to the conclusion that chemical fertilizers are directly leading to the excess minerals in the water. |
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So Why Should You Care?To answer a question in our eCybermission folder, we had to think long and hard about how solving this problem would help our community - a close neighbor of the Potomac River, which is a major tributary to the Chesapeake Bay.Here is what we wrote: "Many people will benefit from cleaning up the Bay's tributaries, including parkgoers now and into the future, as well as fishermen and others who make a living off of the Bay and its tributaries. Also, it will help the wildlife in the area, especially the blue crab, whose population in the Bay has been decreasing at an alarming rate in the past years. Blue crabs are essential to our society. Many birds and fish feed off this crab. It is a nutritious part of their diet. Fish like eels, catfish, and the striped bass depend on the baby crabs as a food source. These babies are also essential to the bellies of bay anchovies and oysters, who serve as "filters" for the Chesapeake Bay. This affects people as well. People have fished for these crabs for decades! In the year 2000, they were held accountable for about $55 million of profit. Losing these crabs would not only cause us the loss of money and a missing link in the Bay's food chain, but the Chesapeake Bay would lose many the tourists that come just for recreational fishing to see the Chesapeake's most prominent and appreciated crustacean." |
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