Blue Crabs: Chesapeake Bay Recyclers

The Chesapeake Bay filters more water than your entire neighborhood uses in a year,

and it does it with creatures smaller than your fist. Blue crabs are the Bay's cleanup crew,

munching through dead fish and algae that would otherwise choke the water. One female crab

can lay up to two million eggs in her lifetime, keeping the ecosystem balanced and your

crab cakes plentiful. All six watershed states, from New York to West Virginia streams feed this system, sending nutrients

downstream that fuel the entire food chain. Without these tiny warriors,

the Bay would be a murky mess. Every crab trap you see is part of a carefully managed

harvest that keeps populations thriving. Next time you crack open a claw, remember you're