Week 3: Fishing and Crabbing, Fishing and Crabbing

 Hey all, I've made my return from vacation and am ready to get back into interacting with children and showing them the wonders of aquatic life, which is precisely what I did. At the start of the week on Monday I was at BCM where I spent the day playing games and drawing with the group of kids there. The rest of the week I spent at George's and Spectacle island where I facilitated fishing in groups. Unfortunately, no fish were caught but a bunch of the kids caught crabs, which is exciting for some of them and that is really all that is important. My favorite part by far is talking to the kids/adults that go fishing because I think it's the most interactive and honestly the most fun for me. Most of our catches were Green Crabs and Spider Crabs.

The invasive species of crabs known as green crabs are estimated to live up to five years. Females of the species can produce up to 185,000 eggs at a time, and females molt once a year and are very vulnerable until a new shell hardens. When fully grown, they are normally 60-90mm long, but when they are outside of their natural habitat, they can reach a height of about 100mm. Practically every coast in the globe has these. The green crab feeds on many organisms, including clams, oysters, mussels, marine worms, and small crustaceans.

Another crab that was encountered a lot was the spider crab. Spider crabs are peaceful, somewhat sluggish scavengers. They have limited eyesight, but on the end of each walking leg are sensitive tasting and sensing organs. This enables them to recognize food when they walk over it in the mud or in the water. Spider crabs molt to grow, just like all other crabs do. The average size of a spider crab is 4 inches front to back.  They are found on a variety of ocean, bay, or harbor bottoms, from shallow water to depths exceeding 150 feet. Their diet consists of algae and detritus; often feed on large starfish. 

Next week I hope to interact with more people interested in fishing and make good conversations, discover new species of animals, and have fun in the sun.

See you at the harbor, 

Patrick Chen