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Seafood Watch - Seafood Guide

Blue Crab

© U.S. Food and Drug Administration
SEAFOODRATINGMARKET NAMESWHERE CAUGHTHOW CAUGHT
Blue Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Blue-Claw Crab, Hardshell Crab, Kani, Softshell Crab U.S. Pot
Blue Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Blue-Claw Crab, Hardshell Crab, Kani, Softshell Crab U.S. Chesapeake Bay Trotline
Dungeness Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Commercial Crab, Market Crab, Pacific Edible Crab, San Francisco Crab Alaska Trap
Dungeness Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Commercial Crab, Market Crab, Pacific Edible Crab, San Francisco Crab California, Oregon, Washington Trap
Jonah Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Atlantic Dungeness Crab U.S. Atlantic Wild-caught
King Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Alaska King Crab, Blue King Crab, Golden King Crab, Kani, Red King Crab U.S. Trap
King Crab, Red Avoid: Avoid these products for now. These fish come from sources that are overfished or fished or farmed in ways that harm the environment. Blue King Crab, Golden King Crab, Kani, King Crab, Red King Crab Russia Trap
King Crab, Southern Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. King Crab, Southern Red King Crab, Centolla Argentina Pot,Trap
Kona Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Frog Crab, Papa'i kualoa, Spanner Crab Hawaii Wild-caught
Kona Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Frog Crab, Spanner Crab Australia Wild-caught
Snow Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Kani, Queen Crab, Snow Crab, Spider Crab, Tanner Crab Eastern Bering Sea, U.S. Pot, Trap
Snow Crab Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Kani, Queen Crab, Snow Crab, Spider Crab, Tanner Crab Eastern Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada Pot, Trap
Snow Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Kani, Queen Crab, Snow Crab, Spider Crab, Tanner Crab Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada Pot, Trap
Stone Crab Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Florida Stone Crab, Gulf Stone Crab U.S. Atlantic, U.S. Gulf of Mexico Trap


Blue Crab

Blue crab from the Chesapeake Bay trotline fishery is a Seafood Watch® Best Choice, while the pot fisheries of the U.S. Atlantic Coast, Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico are a Seafood Watch® Good Alternative.

Consumer Note

Only crabs caught in U.S. waters can be sold as blue crabs. Imported blue swimmer crabs are a different species. Blue crab is known as kani when prepared as sushi.

Health Alert

Environmental Defense Fund has issued a consumption advisory for blue crab due to elevated levels of mercury and PCBs.

Summary

Blue crab is found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts in state waters. Each state independently manages the blue crab populations within its waters.

Most blue crab is caught in pots, with the exception of the Chesapeake Bay fishery which uses "trotlines." A trotline is hookless; the bait is tied to the line. Crabs are brought in by hauling the line, resulting in zero bycatch. The blue crab pot fisheries, however, have the potential for bycatch - primarily immature blue crabs and diamondback terrapins - a species decreasing in most of its range. New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland have specific terrapin bycatch reduction regulations but more could be done to minimize accidental catch.

Most states coordinate crab pot removal programs to reduce terrapin and crab bycatch associated with ghost fishing (lost and abandoned pots), which is the primary threat to the habitat and ecosystem .

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