"blue crabs" news and stories

Located off Southeastern Louisiana, Barataria Bay is home to some of the most biologically diverse and productive waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Beginning in late May, state authorities began to close off specific areas to recreational and commercial fishing due to the appearance of oil as reported by shrimpers. Then on July 27th , a passing dredge barge pulled by the Pere Ana C. tugboat collided with an abandoned wellhead causing a geyser of oil to burst over the waters. Capped on August 1st, the oil well was eventually controlled, but the damage to Barataria Bay was done, and blue crab, one of the Gulf's most vital seafood harvests, is feeling the effects.

"Blue crabs are one of the most important components in the Gulf's food chain," Vince Guillory, a biologist manager of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, told Slashfood. Over the past few weeks reports from researchers testing seafood in the Barataria area have shown these abundant crustaceans' larvae to exhibit characteristic orange specks caused by oil. Biologist Harriet Perry of the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory has been studying the samples and told the Associated Press, "In my 42 years of studying crabs I've never seen this."

Government officials in Virginia and Maryland are ecstatic over reports showing the Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population has rebounded as the result of a conservation program implemented in 2008.

A release from Va. Governor Bob McDonnell's office characterized the findings as "great news for everyone who enjoys genuine Chesapeake Bay crab cakes and she-crab soup."

According to a survey released last week, the population has spiked 60 percent since last year, bringing the total blue crab count to 658 million.

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This is the WiseCracker. From the description over at Chef'n, it sounds like the jaws of life for crustaceans. Aside from having a claw cracker and meat pick on the handle, the business end of the WiseCracker is slid into crab shells and expanded, thus splitting the shells open. At least, that's what they say. It's a far cry from a wooden mallet and a nutcracker. It might be worth a try; Amazon has them for about $15. Still, I think part of the appeal of eating crabs, at least blue crabs, is the mess.

Breakfast in bed for no reason at all - I surprised my girlfriend one Sunday morning with a breakfast of griddle cakes with clotted cream and homemade Meyer lemon marmalade (above), sausages and orange juice. I'm not sure what made me get up early and decide to do it. I think, partly, it was because a large serving tray was left out on our counter from the night before and it just begged to have breakfast in bed served from it. (OK, so the marmalade was homemade, it just wasn't my home.)

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]