Population Studies of the Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, in the Aransas Bay System - Studies of the Blue Crab Populations of the Texas Coast

In 1963, blue crabs were 80 per cent less abundant in 10-foot trawl samples than in 1961 and 15 per cent less abundant than in 1962. The sampling device best suited for sampling sub-adult crabs in 1963 was the bar-seine. The 60-foot seine was least selective in terms of size. Female crabs of sub-adult and adult sizes outnumbered males by 14 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively. Salinities have increased 75 per cent since 1961, and commercial crab landings have decreased 50 per cent.