Chesapeake Bay blue crabs collected in a bucket
All About Crabs
Grade 5
Fishers study the conditions of the Chesapeake Bay and the characteristics of blue crabs in order to know both the best ways to hunt crabs and the best times and seasons to do so. In this lesson, we will explore how fishing and crab hunting practices have developed over time, and how changes to the Chesapeake Bay (specifically underwater plants) have caused changes to the blue crab populations.
Teacher's Guide and Related Standards
I can explain how conditions of the Chesapeake Bay have impacted crabs and the fishers who hunt/catch them.
- How have changes to the Chesapeake Bay affected crab populations?
- What weather conditions are best for crabs in the Chesapeake?
- Why are crabs an important species in the Chesapeake Bay?
Water's Edge Clip
- How have changes to the Chesapeake Bay affected crab populations?
- Why do crabs need to get caught early in the morning before the sun rises?
- How was catching crabs different in the past, compared to how they are caught in the Bay today?
- How do subaquatic grasses help crabs?
- What happens when crabs do not have subaquatic grasses they can use?
Vocabulary
Supplemental Enrichment Activities
Blue Crab Population Graph
Analyze the graphical model of changes to the blue crab population (abundance) over the years in the Chesapeake Bay. Have students interpret the data and draw conclusions about the state of blue crabs in the Bay.
in Ecosystems
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Article
Read the first tow sections of this article to learn more about the importance of submerged aquatic vegetations (SAVs). Have students complete a journal by writing about the relationship between SAVs and marine animals and fish in the Chesapeake Bay, including blue crabs.
Ecosystem Connections Among Five Key Bay Species
Explain to students that not only do fishers depend on blue crabs, but other species in the Chesapeake Bay do too. Have students view the model to determine the relationships between blue crabs and other key species of the Chesapeake Bay.
Career Connections