Talk:Soft-shell crab

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First..

My father used to be involved in the blue-crab business.. So this is second hand information (hence the posting in the discussion area)..

Ok.. Where he was from (NC), Soft-shell crabs were referred to as 'soft crabs' (not soft-shells or soft-shell crabs)

Also, about the "seasonal" aspect of soft-shell crabs (for the blue crab case), my understanding (from various sources) was that this is dictated by the intrinsic life cycle of the blue crab. When the female blue crabs enters its second year, the first spring molt is the only time during the lifetime of a female blue crab that it becomes fertile. So when it is about to molt, the female crab will actively seek a Jimmy (Male blue crab) to fertilize its eggs and protect it for the re-hardening period.. This specificity is used by the crab industry by rigging special traps (peeler pots) with a small male crab (instead of the usual bait) so as to attract the expectant (and soon to molt) females..

The catch is then put into special sheds where workers will observe the crabs continuously and then put the recently molted females into ice-cold water so as to slow down their metabolism to prevent the shell re-hardening process.

This information I have is from various sources, experience, etc.. So I have no reference at hand to substantiate any article based on this..

If anyone could confirm this information and/or has reference material, I believe it could be added to the main article..

--Ivan Scott Warren 02:57, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

You are precisely right. Soft shell crabs refer not to a species but to 'peelers,' as they're called in the trade, blue crabs in their molting state. Both male and female crabs molt, but the industry finds it more efficient to bait their traps with a male crab, attracting large numbers of females seeking its protection during their vulnerable, molting soft shell state. And yes, the molting process signals the female reproductive cycle which happens only once in the crab's lifetime. In the natural order, the male protects the soft-shelled reproducing female from predators such as large-mouth bass. In today's order, nature is tricked by human predators and the species dwindles. I've just come off the water where working crabbers imparted this information. Unfortunately, economic imperatives continue to suppress it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by SoutheastGeorgia (talk • contribs) 04:53, 29 January 2008 (UTC)