While I was working at Piers park these past few weeks, I came across many species but my favorites were spider Crabs and the Jonah Crabs. The Spider Crab (Libinia emarginata) also know as the Nine-Spined Spider Crab or Decorator Crab is a common species native to the Atlantic Ocean. Their average body size is four inches, while their leg span can grow up to 12 inches across, with females being slightly smaller. They are often called the Decorator Crab because they tend to attach seaweed and other small things they find on the ocean floor to the spines on their back. They don't actually do this for decoration but as camouflage to hide from potential predators. Spider Crabs prefer to live in brackish, salt water. Because they've preferred to live in these conditions they have developed sensing organs at the ends of their legs to identify food. Their food preference are starfish but they will scavenge for any other marine life such as plankton and algae. In the fall, they will gather in large pods to molt and hibernate. In the spring, they will mate while still in the large groups.
The Jonah Crab (Cancer borealis) is a native species to East Coast of North America. These crabs are usually orangish brown and can be identified by the small black tips on their claws. The maximum size of a male Jonah Crab is 9 inches across their carapace (shell) while females are smaller topping off at only 6 inches. Their habitat is varied as they have little preference as to where they live. Jonah Crabs are scavengers and will eat everything from snails to algae but they're diet mainly consists of Blue Mussels.
While I was at Piers Park I fished and kayaked but most importantly I interacted with many campers of different ages (and different attention spans). Besides the constant duty of keeping them safe, ie: not falling into the harbor or getting hooked by the fishing rods, I was able to teach them about marine life. They always had questions about the creatures we pulled up in the traps and creatures we hoped to catch with the rod and reel. Some of the questions were genuine and some were goofy, but I enjoyed teaching and laughing with them.
In the upcoming weeks at All Access I am looking forward to making new experiences as well as spending time on the water. I am also excited about spending time on the Boston Harbor Islands and learning more about the history of Georges Island, since I know very little about the island so far.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonah_crab
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