Let the Pros Measure your Blues!

Tip To Tip Measurement

Watermen have an eye for a legal-sized crab, but they still have a stainless-steel grading scale ready for a second opinion. Notched like a ruler, this grader gives the boat crew and the crab house employees an exact way to ensure the customer gets his bang for his buck. The top shell or carapace with the two long points at either end makes it easy to grade. The waterman takes one point and lines it on the starting point of the grader and then aligns the other point evenly across. Behold, the crab size! It’s not a difficult task, except for when the crab is snapping and angry. In this case, hold the crab securely from behind the back swimming legs and agility line up the points. Grab your trusty rubber gloves that can protect you from a rambunctious blue crab.

Official Chesapeake Bay Grading Scale

All crab houses decide on their sizes and names, but the Official Chesapeake Bay Grading Scale trumps creativity. The grader’s notches represent a Super (7” +), X-Large (6½”-7”), Large (6”-6½”), Medium (5½”-6”) and Small (5”-5½”). Both male “jimmy” and female “sook” get graded the same, but keep in mind, females have a golden rule when alive. If you see a sponge or sack protruding from the female’s apron, throw her back into the water regardless of the size. Keeping the blue crab’s population healthy means sparing this female crab. Also, any crab under 5” requires the crab to reenter the water, likewise. A keen worker who follows these rules will ensure a high-quality staging of another delicious crab dinner.

The Prize

Blue Crabs serve as a delicacy and the process to grow into this status requires much work. In fact, after hatching during warmer months, they will molt or shed their shell up to 25 times in their first summer. After a full year, they will line up on the grader at about 5”, so that’s quite a bit of preparation. Of course, a diet of periwinkles (snails), insects, detritus (floating nourishment), clams, oysters and the like, along with healthy waters help the crab grow. If you rent a dingy and go out in the bay for some trot-lining, you now know how to size your catch, but if you want the pros, look toward Crab Depot to size your fresh catch. Before a shipment of a freshly steamed catch, the crabs get measured on the boat, and then at the crab house. Finally, when the crew loads the custom crab cooler with a steamed dozen or two, a final measurement ensures an exact catch!